Alleged doping extortion 'abhorrent' - Coe

Image
AFP London
Last Updated : Nov 08 2015 | 4:57 PM IST
World athletics chief Sebastian Coe has labelled as "abhorrent" allegations of doping bribery within athletics after his predecessor was arrested by French police.
"That people in our sport have allegedly extorted money from athletes guilty of doping violations is abhorrent," said International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president Coe in a statement to Britain's Sunday Times newspaper.
Lamine Diack, Coe's immediate predecessor, was charged by French police with corruption over suspicions he took bribes worth more than one million euros ($1.09 million) to cover up doping cases involving Russian athletes.
The IAAF have also opened disciplinary proceedings against one of Diack's sons and three others, their own former treasurer and ex-doping chief.
However, Coe in his first response to the latest crisis to hit track and field, added: "That they were not able to cover up the doping results is testament to the system that the IAAF and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) have jointly put in place."
Coe said disciplinary procedures would be strengthened if current systems were found to be inadequate.
"Where there are fragilities in the system that may have allowed extortion, no matter how unsuccessful, we will strengthen them," said Coe.
"We will take the hearing process out of the hands of individual member federations."
Coe, a two-time Olympic 1500 metres gold medallist for Britain, took over as head of the IAAF from Diack in August, vowing to clean up the tainted sport.
- Game-changing report -
========================
But according to a report due to be published Monday, the scale of doping corruption and money laundering within athletics dwarfs the financial scandals engulfing FIFA.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 08 2015 | 4:57 PM IST

Next Story