Neil Black: Performance director to leave UK Athletics

Before becoming performance director in 2012, Neil Black had been head of performance support services, science and medicine at UK Athletics

Neil Black is to leave his position as performance director of UK Athletics.

Black has faced criticism since coach Alberto Salazar was given a four-year ban after being found guilty of doping violations.

UK Athletics appointed Salazar as a consultant to its endurance programme in 2013.

The news comes two days after the World Athletics Championships in Doha ended in which Great Britain's haul of five medals was their lowest since 2005.

Salazar, whom Black described as a "genius", coached Britain's Mo Farah from 2011 until 2017, a period during which he won four Olympic and six World Championship golds in the 5,000m and 10,000m.

The US Anti-Doping Agency's investigation into how Salazar ran the Nike Oregon Project began in 2015 following a BBC Panorama investigation.

Salazar has denied that the Nike Oregon Project permitted doping, saying he was "shocked" by Usada's findings and would appeal against the ban.

In 2015, UK Athletics conducted a review into Farah's work with Salazar and found "no reason to be concerned".

Before his departure at the end of October, Black will support Farah, for whom he personally managed his performance support programme in the run-up to London 2012, at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday.

Black took up the performance director role in September 2012 after Charles van Commenee left his position as Olympic head coach.