From Inside the Games
David Okeyo has been expelled as a member of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council and banned from the sport for life after the governing body’s Ethics Board found him guilty of siphoning off funds from a sponsorship deal between Athletics Kenya (AK) and Nike.
In its judgement released today, the IAAF Ethics Board said Okeyo, the former secretary general and vice-president of AK, had diverted thousands of dollars meant for the national governing body for his personal use.
The Kenyan official committed 10 breaches of the IAAF’s ethics code “over a long period of time” and has also been fined $50,000 (£38,000/€43,000).
His actions “deprived AK of income from its sponsor that could have been better directed to support the development of the sport of athletics in Kenya”, according to the Ethics Board.
Athletics Kenya treasurer Joseph Kinyua was also investigated and was found to have “engaged in similar conduct”.
But he has avoided any punishment as his position with the organisation was not bound by ethics rules at the time of the offence.
Okeyo is still facing further sanctions from the Ethics Board relating to seperate allegations that he attempted to extort money from Kenyan athletes who had failed drugs tests.
He has always denied wrongdoing.
Former AK chairman Isaiah Kiplagat was also implicated in the investigation but died at the age of 72 in August 2016.
