It was "very disappointing" of the media to drag Mo Farah into a "sensationalized" drugs scandal which engulfed the world and Olympic champion’s coach Alberto Salazar earlier this year, according to Farah’s agent, Ricky Simms. Simms said, “It was very disappointing that certain sections of the media went on what many described as a ‘witch hunt’ against Mo Farah while constantly saying there were no allegation against Mo. The allegations were serious but the way the media sensationalized the story was very unpleasant.”
Farah found his name was being dragged through the mud after a BBC investigation this summer linked Salazar with doping.
The investigation alleged Salazar violated a number of anti-doping rules and used testosterone medication on Farah’s running partner Galen Rupp, also a client of Simms.
There was no suggestion that Farah -- who has continued to work with Salazar -- had broken any rules and the claims were vehemently denied by Salazar.
Simms, the boss of Pace Sport Management, whose stable of athletes also includes Usain Bolt and a number of athletes who had links to Salazar’s Nike-sponsored Project Oregon, does not regret how Pace handled the scandal, which threatened to destabilize Farah ahead of his bid to retain his 5,000m and 10,000m titles in the world championships.
Simms: “I don’t think there was anything that could have been done differently. The allegations were made against a coach and did not involve any of athletes who started working with him in recent years. The athletes were open and honest in that they had not experienced anything illegal or suspicious.”
HANDS-ON APPROACH: Scandal aside, Simms believes there were a number of highlights for Pace Sports Management in '15, including Farah’s double victory -- and Bolt’s three golds -- in the world championships in Beijing, along with another of Simms’s athletes, Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot, victory in the 10,000m.
Simms, who has earned the tag super agent, is a former runner who set up Pace in '01, a company which is growing quickly and now has over 50 athletes on its books.
The Irishman has a reputation for being very hands-on, a reputation he does not dispel.
He said, “I am definitely very hands on. In this business you have to live it 24/7. The athletes become like family. I am fortunate to have a very good team, all of whom are former athletes and understand the business. I think Usain has been great for track & field over the past eight years and has inspired a lot of people all over the world. He has really changed the game in the way athletes interact with each other, with fans, with the media.”
One of the big announcements in the world of athletics this year was the appointment of Sebastian Coe as president of the IAAF.
Simms: “I know Seb well and think he has a great opportunity to move the sport forward as the new IAAF president. There is a lot of hard work to be done and it will not happen overnight but I’m confident that Seb has the leadership skills to be successful in the role.”
John Reynolds is a writer in London.
