Alberto Salazar's appeal hearing in doping case postponed to March

LAUSANNE: Alberto Salazar's appeal against a four-year ban in a doping case was postponed Thursday because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it has moved next week's scheduled hearing for Salazar and endocrinologist Jeffrey Brown to a new slot from March 3-12.

The court’s plans to hold in-person hearings have been affected by tighter travel restrictions during a renewed wave of COVID-19 infections.

Salazar and Brown were banned by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in October 2019 while the coach attended the track world championships in Qatar.

USADA acted after a six-year investigation into Salazar’s Nike Oregon Project training group led to charges including possessing and trafficking testosterone.

Salazar denied wrongdoing and said last year “the Oregon Project has never and will never permit doping.”

No runner linked to Salazar’s group, including four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah, was directly implicated in doping by investigators.