To quote Ice Cube, “Everythang’s Corrupt.”
The Associated Press is reporting former IAAF president Lamine Diack told a lawyer he’d need to cut a deal with Russian president Vladimir Putin to make sure nine banned Russian athletes wouldn’t compete at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, according to a new investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
AP NewsBreak: Report says Putin may have consulted on doping: https://t.co/SWgYYHozCK
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) January 14, 2016
Diack, his son Papa Massata, and two Russian officials were banned from track and field for life last Thursday by the IAAF Ethics Commission.
The Associated Press on Monday reported on six years of cached emails, reports and notes from the athletics federation and Russian officials about suspicious test results from Russian athletes, which featured plans to cover up evidence against dopers. According to that report, some of the doping levels were so high, IAAF officials were concerned for the athlete’s lives.
According to the investigation, per the AP, Diack and Putin reportedly conspired on what reads like a payoff, as the Russian rights to televise the 2013 world championships increased from $6 million to $25 million, which was provided by a Russian bank. Diack made sure Putin’s Russian athletes were reviewed by a lawyer he handpicked to handle the Russian’s doping cases, despite that official having little experience in such matters.
On Thursday, investigator and former World Anti-Doping Agency Dick Pound called for the IAAF to do complete a forensic examination of how the TV rights were awarded to see if any improprieties took place.
The report finishes by saying there’s no way IAAF members, including current president Sebastian Coe, could not have been aware of the extent of doping and of the non-enforcement of rules. Considering how deep the alleged corruption seemed to go, Coe and other IAAF members would have to be completely oblivious to miss it.
Per the report, Putin and Diack worked together to ensure Russia got extra financial benefits and unfair treatment in doping cases, a clear indication the IAAF totally failed to do its job.
