An independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency has accused the former president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Lamine Diack, of corruption, according to a report published Thursday.
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The first part of Pound’s report, released in November said there was a “state-sponsored” doping system in Russian Federation, which has since been suspended by the IAAF.
Pound’s report was tougher on the IAAF Council, saying it was too easy just to blame the failures on Diack, who along with his son Papa Massata Diack and other officials is under investigation by French police.
“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.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said in a footnote of its independent committee report that allegations around the 2020 Games surfaced via transcripts by Turkish officials of meetings with Diack’s son Khalil in connection with an apparent extortion attempt of Turkish runner Asli Alptekin.
He concluded that the IAAF’s ruling Council under Diack, including Coe, who served as vice-president, could not have been unaware that something was wrong involving Russian athletes suspected of having failed drugs tests.
That the IAAF Council must have been aware of the scale of doping in athletics and the organisation’s failings could not be blamed exclusively “on a small group on miscreants”.
In a press conference after releasing the scathing report, Pound said that Sebastian Coe, who was recently elected president of the IAAF, was still the best guy to lead IAFF – “fingers crossed”.
“The weakness of IAAF’s governance which has been exposed allowed individuals at the head of the previous regime at the IAAF to delay the following of normal procedures in certain doping cases”, the statement said.
Coe succeeded Diack as IAAF president in August, after eight years as a vice president.
Rather confusingly, Pound appeared to contradict much of the report’s contents when asked about Coe’s suitability to lead the governing body.
“This is a fabulous opportunity for the IAAF to seize the opportunity and, under strong leadership, move forward from this”. With regards the IAAF’s reaction to the tests, which were taken between 2001 and 2012, the report says the governing body was “suitably reactive”.
– Pound said he does not believe Coe “had the faintest” idea of the cover-ups that are alleged to have taken place and stated that he “can’t think of anyone better” to lead the IAAF’s “reputational recovery”.
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“The IAAF fully acknowledges and accepts the extreme gravity of the Commission’s findings”, the organization said in a statement. He recommended that more investigation was needed on those suspicions.
