Track coach permanently banned for sexual, emotional misconduct

The U.S. Center for SafeSport has permanently banned track coach Alberto Salazar over allegations of sexual and emotional misconduct, The Associated Press reported.

Salazar was temporarily banned by SafeSport in January 2020. He has 10 days to appeal his now permanent ban to the SafeSport center.

The SafeSport center didn’t share any details about their investigation, according to the AP. 

USA Track and Field said it would “prioritize” safety in response to Salazar’s permanent ban.

“No form of abuse will ever be tolerated within our sport, and we will continue to prioritize athletes’ emotional and physical safety above all else,” USA Track and Field said in a statement to the AP. 

The punishment comes after claims were made against Salazar in 2019. Runners Mary Cain, Kara Goucher, and Amy Yoder Begley alleged that Salazar, 62, physically and emotionally abused them while coaching the Nike Oregon Project team, the AP noted. 

Nike shut down Salazar’s team after SafeSport’s initial decision, the AP reported. 

Salazar, who won the Boston and New York marathons in the 1980s, also received a doping ban in 2019 after a six-year investigation concluded that he possessed and trafficked testosterone and experimented with letting his athletes use performance-enhancing drugs during contests, the AP noted. 

The Hill has reached out to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, USA Track and Field, and Nike for comment.