The IAAF (below) claim that there is no systematic corruption in the IAAF.
Athletics Illustrated asks, if that is the case, then disgraced former IAAF President Lamine Diack only extorted the few athletes that he is implicated for during his 16-year career at the helm? Not bloody likely. What about the leaked IAAF blood values that campaigning Lord Sebastion Coe got very sensitive about, even discrediting two very qualified doctors who confirmed that there were hundreds of suspicious blood values and many athletes who won medals were among them.
Why was that not acted upon?
When for years the world was led to believe that the testing was so far behind the dopers, that there was no hope in catching them, when in fact, the leaked document proves that to be not entirely true. It is actually a case of the IAAF administration did not have an appetite to act upon the findings. Or worse. Was the IAAF complicit in hiding or keeping secret the hundreds of positive blood values so that they can accomplish two things:
1.) Keeping the public ignorant of the rate of doping to maintain dignity and a positive image?
2.) Extorting athletes.
Both 1 and 2 have proven to be the case.
Point number number, one for example, implicates Nick Davies the IAAF communications director, where his emails were leaked to a French newspaper and were published indicating that he tried to delay public identification of alleged Russian drug cheats before the 2013 Moscow IAAF World Track and Field Championships. He indeed stepped down in light of the allegations.
Point number two is proven where both Diack and his son Papa Massata Diack have been implicated and the latter banned from the sport for accepting bribes from athletes who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.
There is a probable likelihood that there is not systemic corruption in the IAAF specifically towards extorting athletes and covering up positive doping test; however, that is a very specific definition. What about not systematic, but “widespread” or “random” or “general” corruption? Should everyone in the IAAF be investigated?
Yes they should.
From Inside the Games:
There is no “systemic corruption” within the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the governing body claimed today as they prepared to face more allegations with the publication later this week of the second part of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Independent Commission report.
The IAAF claim that the cover-ups of doping failures were carried out only by a small minority of figures which contrast with the commitment of the “dedicated” majority.
The defence by the IAAF is contained within a 30-page document, sent to WADA on Friday (January 8) and to insidethegames today.
It is the IAAF’s first detailed response to the WADA Independent Commission report published last November.
As well as allegations of sytemic and state-supported doping within Russian athletics, it was claimed that the IAAF may have delayed the outcome of up to eight cases and suffered from “systemic failures…that prevent or diminish the possibility of an effective anti-doping programme”.
Former IAAF President Lamine Diack has since been arrested as part of a French police investigation amid allegations he was involved in an extortion plot in which money was accepted in return for tests involving Russian athletes being covered up.
Consultant Papa Massata Diack, the son of Diack, was banned for life from the sport by the IAAF Ethics Commission last week for his role in the plot.
Former IAAF treasurer and All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF) President Valentin Balakhnichev was also banned, along with long distance running and race-walking coach Alexei Melnikov.
