The news that double gold medal-winning distance runner Mo Farah missed two drugs tests in the years leading up to the 2012 Olympics has heaped more scrutiny on athletics.
But renowned Sunday Times sportswriter David Walsh, who helped shed light on the Lance Armstrong case, feels that the larger story involving Farah's coach Alberto Salazar - who was the subject of a Panorama documentary about alleged doping claims - is of special significance.
"I think it's interesting and important but I don't think they're that significant in relation to the Alberto Salazar case which really is the story here," he told Off The Ball.
Good to be out on the track in France today, getting ready for my next race in Monaco!! Focusing on my training!!!! pic.twitter.com/JLu6GXH9IU
— Mo Farah (@Mo_Farah) June 17, 2015
The British athlete missed tests in 2010 and 2011, while a third missed test in an 18-month period would have seen him banned according to the rules.
"People do miss tests and I've always seen missed tests as yellow cards in football, in that you watch a guy get a yellow card and you know he's not going to get a second because he knows that he will be sent off. If people miss one, they'll think it's not going to be a problem, if they miss two it's a slight problem but it's still not going to get them a suspension and then they'll tend not to miss a third and be more careful about it," Walsh said.
Galen Rupp, Alberto Salazar and Mo Farah (Martin Rickett / PA Wire/Press Association Images)
"It doesn't mean they're trying to avoid being tested at that time. In some cases, yes, but in the majority of cases, missed tests are caused by people being careless and knowing that one missed test is not going to really hurt them."
As for Farah, Walsh said, "the point is it happened four years ago and does it raise the level of suspicion against Mo Farah? Perhaps a fraction and you can decide what fraction or what percentage it raises it."
But on the wider point about his coach Salazar, Walsh said, "to me, it's hard to understand why Mo Farah is still allowing himself to associate himself with Alberto Salazar because I think there's enough evidence out there about Alberto Salazar for Mo Farah to decide 'I can have nothing to do with this guy.'"
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