Athletics: Coe says Farah deserves respect

Mo Farah of Britain celebrates winning The Great North Run in Newcastle upon Tyne. Photo / Getty Images

Mo Farah should be respected for his two Rio Olympics golds despite his coach being investigated by US authorities, says IAAF President Sebastian Coe.

American Alberto Salazar, who has worked with Farah since 2011, was accused of violating anti-doping rules in a BBC documentary last year, including allegations he gave 2012 Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Galen Rupp the banned anabolic steroid testosterone.

Farah became the only the second man to retain the 5000m and 10,000m Olympic titles in Rio but his association with Salazar led to a taint of suspicion.

"There are some systems where you can't have that presumption of innocence any more but Mo - and I am not here as his spokesman or his defender - has made all his readings public," Coe, who won 1500m golds at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics, was quoted as saying by the Times newspaper on Tuesday.

"He is subjected to all the tests that anyone is subjected to and if he has had issues with his coach then you have to assume he has asked some pretty tough questions which have been answered satisfactorily to his way of thinking."

Salazar issued a lengthy and detailed denial of the allegations last year. US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has been investigating him but is yet to release a finding.

Farah has been exonerated by UK Athletics who found no impropriety on his part after receiving the initial findings of a review into his relationship with Salazar.

He also agreed to release blood test results going back to 2005.