Jama Aden, the acclaimed coach for some of the world’s best middle- and long-distance runners, was arrested and detained after police raided the Spanish hotel where he and dozens of his athletes were staying on June 20, 2016. Police allegedly seized significant quantities of anabolic steroids and erythropoietin (EPO) from his hotel room.
Genzebe Dibaba breaks 1500-meter world record at the 2016 IAAF Diamond League track meet in Monaco
Aden’s arrest represented the culmination of a lengthy three-year investigation codenamed “Operación Rial” by Los Mossos d’Esquadra (the Catalan police force) in conjunction with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the Spanish National Anti-Doping Agency (AEPSAD) and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) anti-doping department.
Spanish authorities descended upon the hotel that served as the temporary home base for Aden and his athletes during their training near Sabadell, Spain. The sting operation took place immediately after four weeks of 24-hour surveillance by investigators. Four to six hotel rooms were raided. Police seized numerous pre-filled syringes containing EPO along with unspecified types of anabolic steroids (most likely testosterone) and 60 syringes with unknown contents.
Aden and an unnamed Moroccan trainer/physiotherapist were the only two individuals arrested by police. However, IAAF drug testing control officers were on hand to demand random and unannounced testing of dozens of Aden’s athletes including his most celebrated and famous track star, Genebe Dibaba.
“We’re very confident of bringing anti-doping violation charges,” according to IAAF. “Jama can be questioned for the next 72 hours by Spanish police. Whether we can charge him will depend on what exactly we have found but if he is charged we will interview him to see if he wishes to divulge any information which can implicate anyone else.”
IAAF may be hoping that Aden will snitch on some of his athletes while under interrogation by Spanish authorities. Aden has previously described himself as a full-time coach who lives with and travels with his athletes as if they were part of his family.
“If you look at the coaches in running today who have had success, like Alberto Salazar with Mo Farah and Galen Rupp, myself, Peter Coe and Harry Wilson, who coached Steve Ovett, we are, or have been, full time coaches,” Aden told a Swedish newspaper earlier this year. “I live next to my athletes and they are like my family.”
If he does, he will have the dirt on some of the best of the best when it comes to middle- and long-distance running super stars. Aden’s most successful protege is 25-year old Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia. He also currently coaches other top runners including Ayanleh Soulieman, Abubaker Kaki, Abdalelah Haroun and Musaeb Abdulrahman Balla.
Three of his athletes set new world records – Dibaba (4:13.31 indoor mile), Souleiman (2:14.20 in 1000-meters) and Haroun (59.83 in 500-meter) – at the 2016 IAAF Globengalen meet in Stockholm. Dibaba also holds world records in the outdoor 1500-meter (3:50.07), the indoor 3000-meter (8:16.60), the indoor 5000-meter (14:18.86) and the indoor two mile (9:00.48).
If convicted under the new Spanish anti-doping laws, Aden could be sentenced to two years imprisonment for administering doping products to athletes. Even if he is not convicted, he likely still faces sanctions of 4 years suspension from sports participation in any capacity for violating the 2016 WADA Code.
The big question is what will happen to all of his athletes. The Operación Rial doping investigation threatens to keep the world’s best middle- and long-distance athletes from competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. It will be a tragedy for Olympic competition that supposedly brings together the best athletes in the world if Dibaba and Aden’s other athletes are kicked out of the Olympics as a result of the doping scandal.