Alberto Salazar writes open letter, says he believes in 'clean sport and hard work'

New York: After Mo Farah defended himself in a public statement last Friday, athletics coach Alberto Salazar on Thursday released a lengthy letter saying he believes in "clean sport and hard work and so do my athletes."

The 56-year-old coach denied allegations claiming he was involved in doping United States record holder Galen Rupp and latter's training partner Farah.

Respected as one of the world's most successful athletics coaches, Salazar is associated with the prestigious Nike Oregon Project (NOP) in Portland, Oregon. He himself is a long-distance legend, having won New York marathon three years in a row.

However, NOP was the subject of an investigation by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in collaboration with US journalism organisation ProPublica, which resulted in a documentary named 'Catch Me If You Can'.

In the documentary which features number of former athletes and NOP staff, Salazar was accused of violating anti-doping rules, including claims saying he was involved in doping Rupp.

In his letter, Cuba-born American Salazar claimed that he has always taken extra caution to ensure that his athletes comply with anti-doping rules, and the allegations have saddened him.

"I am saddened that these false allegations have been allowed to run with little care for the carnage in their wake... I am always extra cautious and take every step to ensure my athletes comply with the anti-doping rules," he wrote.

Defending Rupp, Salazar said "Galen suffers from severe allergies and breathing issues. He is medically diagnosed as suffering from both asthma and Hashimotos disease, a thyroid disease. Galen is one of the hardest working, most honest and genuine athletes I have ever known. Galen has never taken a banned substance in violation of the Wada code."

In the 2012 London Olympics, Rupp finished second in the men's 10,000m event, behind Farah.