IOC, Tokyo 2020 Organizers Respond to Bid Corruption Claims

Athletics’ reputation was severely tarnished last November when the first part of the report made allegations of state-sponsored doping in Russia, which led to the IAAF suspending Russian athletes from competition.

“Their request is the clearest example of how seriously the IAAF and its members take the details of yesterday’s WADA independent commission report”.

Commission chairman Dick Pound presented his findings at a press conference in Munich, with Lord Coe, the chairman of athletics’ beleaguered governing body the IAAF, in attendance.

American track and field (USATF) President and IAAF Council member Stephanie Hightower said she was “disturbed” by the report but also gave backing to Coe.

The scandals could have serious implications for the world athletics governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federation. “There’s enormous amount of reputational recovery that has to occur here and I can’t… think of anyone better than Lord Coe to lead that”.

World anti-doping body WADA’s independent commission alleged an extortion ring and doping cover-up was orchestrated by former IAAF president Lamine Diack.

The WADA report touched on this aspect saying there was an evident lack of political appetite within the IAAF to confront Russian Federation with the full extent of its known and suspected doping activities.

The report into IAAF governance was highly critical of Diack, who was in charge for 16 years.

Russia, which now has no accredited doping laboratory and faces the prospect of its track and field athletes missing the Rio Olympics in six months’ time, said it supported the outcomes of Pound’s investigation.

“The corruption was embedded in the organization”, Pound said in a damning comment on the IAAF’s handling of drug abuse.

Pound on Thursday recommended the IAAF “take a vigorous, forensic look” at the 2020 Olympic vote-buying allegation and the awarding of world championships to certain cities and countries.

“As far as the ability of Lord Coe to remain at the head of the IAAF, I think it’s a fabulous opportunity for the IAAF to seize this opportunity and under strong leadership to move forward out of this”, said Pound.

Coe was effusive in his praise of former president Lamine Diack when he beat Sergey Bubka in an election to succeed the disgraced Senegalese in August.

“My assessment on Lord Coe is, if he knew corruption was going on, he would have said something…”

It also claims Diack told a lawyer he would consult Russian President Vladmir Putin, to discuss doping cases against nine Russians ahead of the 2013 world championships in Moscow.

French authorities are now investigating Diack as well as Cisse and Diack’s son Massata for corruption.

“I will put systems in place for the current council and so that my successor is never in a position that we don’t understand the nature of the day-to-day running of the organisation”, he said. “Indeed in point of fact the IAAF was one the leaders in the development of the athlete blood passport”. That’s why we want a further investigation.