by Our Sports Desk

ATHLETICS coach Alberto Salazar has firmly denied doping allegations made against him in a BBC documentary, Nike said yesterday.

Panorama said former Salazar charges had come forward with a slew of doping claims levelled at the former champion runner and his Nike Oregon Project.

Salazar helped put Mo Farrah and US running partner Galen Rupp on the top two podium steps in the Olympic 10,000m in 2012 but has now been accused of using banned steroids and prescription drugs on his athletes.

There has been no suggestion that Farrah has been involved in the doping but former junior coaches and running partners claimed that Rupp had been subverting the TUE process, allowing athletes to take performance-enhancing prescription drugs when they’re ill, to take prednisone.

Rupp insists he’s only taken prednisone, which can block pain and enhance oxygen consumption, to deal with asthma flare-ups but former running mate Sean Eagon, who was not part of the Nike academy said the 17-year-old Rupp didn’t appear to be ill when he took it.

Nike said: “We take the allegations very seriously as Nike does not condone the use of performance enhancing drugs in any manner.

“Both Alberto and Galen have made their perspectives clear and fully refute the allegations made against them.”

But that’s unlikely to put the matter to rest, with World Anti-Doping Agency director general David Howman saying there may be sufficient evidence for Wada to investigate the claims.

He said Wada was seeking the full footage from the Wednesday evening’s programme.

“It’s probably sensible not to say too much until we have seen the footage of the programme, but if the allegations are as serious as they have been reported then they need to be investigated beyond a national level,” said Howman.

Farrah categorically denied taking any banned substances and said Salazar had never asked him to do so, adding: “From my experience, Alberto and the Oregon Project have always strictly followed Wada rules.”

But figures from the world of athletics urged the multiple European record-holder to rethink his relationship with Salazar.

European 10,000m champion Jo Pavey said she would “run a mile” if such allegations surfaced around her coach.

UK Athletics, with which Salazar has an honorary consultancy, urged the BBC to share the findings so that they could be fully scrutinised.