World Athletics president Sebastian Coe weighs in on athlete confidentiality amid Peter Bol war of words

Following the explosive war of words that has erupted since Peter Bol’s leaked A-sample, World Athletics’ president has weighed in.

Peter Bol was guilty before being found innocent, writes Scott Gullan. Picture: Michael Klein

The explosive war of words that has erupted since Peter Bol’s first anti-doping test result was leaked — before his second sample was analysed — has raised concerns among athletics’ global leaders.

Because Bol’s highly-publicised case is ongoing, international athletics officials cannot and will not comment on the specifics of his bombshell investigation.

But when quizzed at a press conference on the eve of the cross country world championships at Bathurst’s iconic Mount Panorama, World Athletics’ president Sebastian Coe did wade into the wider issue of athlete confidentiality.

Choosing his words carefully to make it clear he was not speaking about any specific case, Coe said there were some instances when the results of an A sample might have to be publicly disclosed, but added that the rights of athletes still always had to be protected.

“Confidentiality, of course, is very important,” Coe said.

“There are some balances there. The Athletic integrity unit does on occasion talk about an A sample simply because of the proximity to a championship and giving it complete clarity.

Peter Bol’s lawyer says his A sample shouldn’t have been made public. Picture: Michael Klein

“As you would understand, I can’t really get into an individual case but confidentiality is not something that should really ever be compromised.”

Bol’s supporters will likely be buoyed by Coe’s comments after claiming his reputation has already been damaged by the leaking of his A sample result – in which he allegedly returned a positive test for EPO – before the second B sample came back as inconclusive.

Initially banned from competing, that suspension was lifted once the results of the B sample were lifted and although the case is still under investigation, Bol’s lawyers have slammed the process and called for heads to roll.

Coe has long been one of the most progressive sporting leaders in the world in tackling the scourge of doping, but the double Olympic middle-distance champion has also been a stickler for protecting the rights of all athletes.

Asked by News Corp whether the leaking of Bol’s results could have implications for other athletes, Coe doubled down on his belief that all potential cases were matters for the independent Athletic Integrity Unit to resolve.

“You can‘t ask me, for good reason, any of those questions, not that I would evade them, I don’t know the answers because the integrity unit now has jurisdiction over that,” he said.

“As you know, from the way we‘ve treated recent cases, reputation doesn’t count for anything. The size of the federation doesn’t count for anything. We are very clear. And the Athletic Integrity Unit has done a very good job.”

Sebastian Coe. Picture: Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Coe also addressed the biggest issue in world sport right now – the question of whether Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to compete as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

It’s become the hot potato issue that no-one wants to talk about after the International Olympic Committee said it was looking at allowing independent athletes to compete at Paris.

Russia has already been banned by World Athletics since 2015 because of its appalling record with doping and Coe said any discussion about whether Russian and Belarusian athletes would be excluded because of the war in Ukraine would only take place if and when the doping ban was lifted.

“The Council will discuss the road map for reinstatement but specifically around the egregious attack on the integrity of our sport through doping,” Coe said.

“Only on the basis of that conversation, or that discussion, would we move on to the second discussion.”

“The council last February made a judgement on the situation in Ukraine and the inability of Ukrainian athletes to be competing openly and fairly and with the kind of integrity that we demand in our competitions.

“It was decided by the council it was inconceivable that Russian athletes (could compete) … So the council will make a decision about whether that position that we decided upon in February still pertains … but, as far as I‘m concerned, the principles still sit there.”

Ex-Olympian: Bol scandal should never happen again

— Scott Gullan and Natalie O’Brien

Former world champion Tamsyn Manou has described the treatment of Peter Bol as “horrific” and called on authorities to fix the drug testing system.

Manou said the Bol EPO saga would send shockwaves through the athlete ranks who have to be trusting of how Sports Integrity Australia operates.

“The idea that somebody who is innocent could be called a cheat, that’s horrific,” Manou said. ”It tarnishes reputations and is quite scary for all athletes that are clean.

“If there is something positive that comes out of all this, go back and make sure if there is an irregularity, or there is anything in the testing system that could show that maybe we could get it wrong, then fix that so innocent athletes don‘t get caught.

“I do really hope more is done to work out what has happened on this test and if there was an error, you rule out that happening again because I just can’t even imagine being an innocent athlete and then called a cheat, that would be just horrible.”

Peter Bol returns to the gym after being cleared. Picture: Instagram.

Tamsyn Manou says the way Bol was treated was “horrific”.

Manou, the 2008 world indoor 800m champion and three-time Commonwealth Games relay gold medallist, said she was shocked Bol had never been handed the laboratory results after he was told of his positive A-sample test to EPO.

“Obviously there are some flaws in the system and I know Sport Integrity will come back hard because they don’t want to be criticised but hopefully the end result is a perfect system with no flaws and it never happens again,” she said.

“He is such a wonderful person Pete Bol, the community, the Sudanese community, young Australians, everyone needs his story, they need to believe in his story and they need him to be out there running because he is a beautiful athlete and a beautiful human.

“That‘s why we were all shocked when the news came down, nobody wanted to believe it because it was just too hard to believe.”

Tamsyn Lewis said nobody wanted to believe Peter Bol was guilty.

A spokeswoman for Athletics Australia (AA) said they would “welcome an investigation into “how information about the positive A Sample was leaked to the media”.

The spokeswoman said AA had “maintained the confidentiality of the A Sample result and the provisional suspension based on the direction of Sport Integrity Australia”.

She said they were conscious that the provisional suspension would result in Peter being absent from training and his name being omitted from start lists for several high profile events.

However, she said “there was no way Athletics Australia was going to mislead our community about the A Sample or concoct a story to explain away Peter’s absence from training or competition. As soon as the media broke the news on the afternoon of Friday 20 January, Athletics Australia issued a statement to confirm the report and ensure transparency and accurate reporting.”

The Australia Day Council has been approached for comment about when or if they were told about Mr Bol failing the drug test, and if that had any impact on either he was not chosen as Young Australian of the Year.

Peter Bol shows the way at the World Athletics Championships.

Bol will be eased back into training this week after his provisional doping ban was lifted on Tuesday when it was revealed his B sample had not matched the A sample result.

He is unlikely to compete in the domestic season and will instead chase a world championships qualifying time – 1min44.70sec – throughout the European summer meets.

The 28-year-old, who finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, is now focused on the world titles in Budapest in August and then his swan song at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“He‘s missed four weeks now so he probably won’t compete this domestic season,” Bol’s coach Justin Rinaldi said.

“He will want to distance himself a bit and then try and get ready in Europe, just reload and get back to doing what he‘s been doing.”

An unfortunate twist in Bol‘s situation is the sudden retirement of his training partner Bendere Oboya.

The 22-year-old was one of Australia‘s most exciting talents – she ran the 400 metres at the world championships in Doha and at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics – but quit the sport last week.

“Bendere Oboya was struggling with her mental health before this came out but this put her over the edge and she retired from the sport last Thursday,” Rinaldi said.

“I‘m not saying the whole Pete thing that did it but it didn’t help.”

INTEGRITY BODY MUST DISAPPEAR AFTER BOL DISGRACE

OPINION

Scott Gullan

The old adage is you‘re innocent until proven guilty. For the past month Peter Bol has been dealing with the complete opposite, he was guilty until proven innocent.

And now Australia‘s 800m champion is facing a new one – you’re innocent until we prove you’re guilty again.

Bol is a free man for the moment, able to train and race again but his triumphant social media message on Tuesday afternoon soon came with a cavaet from Sport Integrity Australia – the organisation who went all chips in to say he was a drug cheat – who said they‘re still investigating.

The fact the hero of the Tokyo Olympics has found himself in this situation is a disgrace.

As his American lawyer rightly pointed out, the positive A sample reading for EPO from a urine test in October last year should never have been made public without confirmation from the B sample.

It never happens that way in the States yet for some reason – and he‘s asked for a government inquiry – Sport Intergrity Australia and Athletics Australia thought they needed to release a public statement revealing the positive test.

On Tuesday it was revealed the B sample “did not confirm” the A sample. It wasn‘t a negative test but more inconclusive which in Bol’s mind was enough to declare he was innocent.

And rightly so. No matter what happens from now, the Tokyo Olympic hero’s reputation has been tarnished to some degree.

Even if he comes back and is triumphant at this year‘s world championships in Budapest in August or does something amazing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the EPO scandal will also been lurking in the background.

So why did the results of the first test leak out?

There is a theory that AA officials were concerned about Bol being awarded Young Australian of The Year, only for him to potentially be at the centre of a drugs scandal a few weeks later.

So in conjunction with the drug testing authorities they went early, a position they say was in the interest of transparency and playing by the book.

But in hindsight it was a case of selling one of their most popular athletes down the river. Bol had brought so much to the sport, his amazing story coming from Sudan with his family as a child had inspired so many around the country.

Now he is a shaken man who is understandably upset with his own federation.

He will return to training over the next week but is unlikely to race in Australia, preferring to go overseas and quietly rebuild his career.

Sport Integrity Australia needs to also quietly disappear. They had a crack at nailing a big name and came up short, they were off the mark, the laboratory results showed that.

Saying the matter is still being investigated screams sore losers. Bol has done dozens of drug tests before and never raised any alarms, now the test where there was a red flag has proven to be inconclusive.

For everyone’s sake, let it go because there has already been too much damage done to Peter Bol and to Australian athletics.