Coe the man to save IAAF, says WADA investigator

Sebastian Coe is facing renewed pressure on his position as IAAF president after the second part of the World Anti-Doping Agency report into doping said the IAAF council “could not have been unaware of the extent of doping in athletics”.

The first part of the report released in November looked specifically at drugs problems in Russian Federation and found a system of “state-sponsored doping” which eventually led to the country’s suspension from global athletics.

Pound found that Diack, a Senegalese who stepped down last year after 16 years leading the IAAF, was “responsible for organising and enabling the conspiracy and corruption that took place in the IAAF”.

“The trust and confidence of all athletics” stakeholders, most notably athletes, administrators, federations and fans, has been exploited through the existence of what we now understand was an “informal illegitimate governance structure’ outside, but directly associated with the IAAF and its anti-doping unit”, he added.

– The report states that the IAAF has an inadequate governance process in place to prevent the corruption that occurred, an issue Coe has pledged to tackle.

And in November, current IAAF President Sebastian Coe relinquished a consulting role with Nike Inc.NKE 0.00 % amid criticism that the services he gave to the sportswear company presented a conflict of interest.

“I’m very grateful for the personal endorsement of Dick but he’s not somebody that pulls his punches”, Coe, elected to replace Diack last August, said. Diack’s son, Papa Massata Diack, has been banned from track for life.

According to the AP, the report also says Lamine Diack struck up a friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that the IAAF helped to cover up nine positive tests by Russian athletes ahead of the 2013 World Championships in Moscow.

He is alleged to have received over 1 million euros ($1.09 million) in bribes in 2011 to cover up positive doping tests of Russian athletes, the office of France’s financial prosecutor has said.

“This is a fabulous opportunity for the IAAF to seize this opportunity and under strong leadership move forward from this, but there is an enormous amount of work to do”, Pound said.

The Jan. 14, 2016 screenshot of the Interpol website shows the wanted notice for Papa Massata Diack who is wanted by French authorities on corruption charges.

The report said the IAAF council “could not have been unaware of the extent of doping in athletics” and that corruption was “embedded” within the organisation under former President Lamine Diack.

“Nor am I aware of any doping case that was not brought that should have been brought, or of any doping ban that was not published when it should have been published under the IAAF Rules”.

The Canadian nevertheless claimed Coe, an observer here at today’s press conference, remained the right man for the job.

The culture, media and sport select committee member said on Twitter: “WADA scathing of Nick Davies who must have known of “skeletons in Russian closet”.

Athletics New Zealand said they were disappointed at the allegations of corruption at the highest level in the IAAF around anti-doping issues and the Russian Athletics Federation due to the significant lapse in governance that allowed this to happen.