Ohuruogu inquiry take another turn-this time online meeting breach
World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) rules prohibit an athlete from receiving support from anyone who is serving a ban
A banned athlete being investigated by anti-doping authorities for his involvement in another runner’s training session appeared to be signed into an official UK Athletics Microsoft Teams meeting this week.
UK Anti-Doping is investigating whether its rules have been breached after the British sprinter Victoria Ohuruogu was photographed training alongside her long-term boyfriend, Antonio Infantino, who is serving a three-year ban for testing positive for non-endogenous testosterone in June 2021.
World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) rules prohibit an athlete from receiving support from anyone who is serving a ban.
On Tuesday the UKA head of sprints, Darren Campbell, hosted a 400m event meeting on Microsoft Teams for athletes on the elite funding programme and a number of coaches.
To the surprise of some on the call, both Infantino and Ohuruogu were listed as participants. It is unclear whether Ohuruogu used two different devices to enter the chat area.
Both she and Infantino did not respond to a request for comment, and UKA declined to comment.
The 31-year-old former British sprinter who switched to competing for Italy in 2016, was photographed with Ohuruogu at Willesden Sports Centre in northwest London last weekend.
He denies coaching or assisting Ohuruogu, who improved her best for 400m last season significantly to claim world, European and Commonwealth medals.
However, a reporter working for The Times witnessed Infantino using cones to mark out distances and calling for two sprints to begin. UKA states that Ohuruogu’s elder sister, Christine, is her coach, although the former Olympic champion was not at the Willesden track last weekend and was not on the call on Tuesday.
When contacted by The Times, Infantino insisted that he is not a coach in any capacity. If he were, he could also be in breach of the Wada code.
Shortly after The Times published its story on Thursday, Infantino deleted all the posts on his Instagram account.
But The Times has seen a video of him filming Ohuruogu training, and detailing the session she has just completed. The film is dated after he was issued with his doping ban.
In September this year a top British sprinter posted a photograph of himself training in Dubai. He says: “First day of training for the 2023 track season. So it begins . . . Coach @20sixxgod trying to end my life with 6x300m.”
Infantino is known by the name @20sixxgod on social media.
In a WhatsApp conversation Infantino said: “Once again, I am not a coach. I am not coaching anybody.”
He added that the athlete is a long-term friend and was simply “joking” in the post.
