Jim Ratcliffe will pull the plug on Team Ineos or Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-two-hour marathon record attempt with immediate effect if either is caught up in cheating.
In his first newspaper interview since buying the former Team Sky operation and rebranding it at the start of this month, the petrochemicals billionaire admitted negative headlines around the outfit — from jiffy bags to tramadol — had been a discussion point before the takeover was done.
Ratcliffe admitted “that was something we did have to think about” but insisted the fullest due diligence had been done around the team and Kipchoge to give him the confidence to get involved.
Kipchoge has never been linked with any wrongdoing, nor failed a drugs test, but his Kenyan compatriots have been caught up in a litany of positive tests, while national team boss Major Michael Rotich was banned for 10 years by an IAAF ethics panel for providing advance notice of drugs tests in return for financial gain.
And Ratcliffe, valued at £18.5billion, said he would quit both operations overnight if any foul play was uncovered.
“I have no interest in cheating,” he warned. “You’re not achieving anything if you’re cheating, are you? Why would you want to do that?
“In all these sporting endeavours, if we find ourselves in that place, we will exit, I’ve no interest in it.
“You’ve got to take a view and I try not to be one of the world’s cynics. Take Usain Bolt, he was the quickest in the world and wasn’t taking drugs as far as I know. We’ve done all the legal compliance we can on this before getting involved. There’s not much more I can do.”
