Mo Farah, whose coach has been accused of doping infractions by a BBC documentary, has released a statement on Facebook saying he has never taken drugs ©Getty Images

Mo Farah, whose coach Alberto Salazar was alleged to have engaged in past doping violations involving other athletes in his group by a BBC Panorama programme aired earlier this month, has posted a statement on Facebook insisting he has never taken performance-enhancing drugs, and adding that the last weeks have been “the toughest of my life".

Media pressure on Farah, about whom the BBC programme made no allegations, continued to grow yesterday  with a claim by the Daily Mail that he missed two random drug tests before he won his Olympic 5,000 and 10,000 metres double at the London 2012 Games.

 “I have never taken performance enhancing drugs in my life and I never will,” said Farah – who pulled out of the International Association of Athletics Federations’ Diamond League meeting in Birmingham on June 7 and returned to his training base at the Nike Oregon project because he wanted to “get answers” from Salazar, saying he was “emotionally and physically drained” and felt his name was being “dragged through the mud.”

Salazar and Farah’s training partner Galen Rupp, who is directly implicated by the allegations, have both strongly denied any wrongdoing.

“Over the course of my career I have taken hundreds of drugs tests and every single one has been negative,” Farah’s statement continued.

“I’ve fully explained the only two tests in my career that I have ever missed, which the authorities understood, and there was never any suggestion that these were anything more than simple mistakes.

“The last two weeks have been the toughest of my life – with rumours and speculation about me that are completely false – and the impact this has had on my family and friends has left me angry, frustrated and upset.

“In particular, the media pressure on my young family and my wife, who is 5 months pregnant, is extremely painful, especially as I’m away training for some important races.

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Mo Farah, pictured in his most recent race at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene, has said in a Facebook statement that the last two weeks, during which he has been embroiled in doping allegations made against his coach Alberto Salazar, have been the "toughest of my life" ©Getty Images

Farah added: “As I made clear, I went to Portland to speak to Alberto Salazar and demand answers.

“He reassured me that the claims are false and that he will soon be providing evidence to make that clear.

“Until then I will not be commenting further on the allegations.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fans, family, friends and team-mates for all the great support they have provided over the last few days and hope that I will now be allowed to focus on my training and winning medals for my country.”

One of the tests the Daily Mail cites occurred in early 2010 before he joined Salazar’s Nike Oregon Project.

The newspaper claims his second missed test occurred at his home in February 2011, when he claimed not to have heard the doorbell.

Nine UK athletes missed two tests in the same year.

No sanction is made against an athlete in these circumstances unless they miss three tests within the specified period, as Britain’s 400m runner Christine Ohuruogu did in 2006, which triggered a year ban before she returned to win world and Olympic titles.



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June 2015: Farah will be "first to leave" Salazar if doping allegations are proven
June 2015: Nike defends Mo Farah's coach over BBC documentary doping allegations