Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Athletics doping crisis: Papa Diack 'rejects' bribery claims

World athletics' ex-marketing consultant Papa Massata Diack "totally rejects" accusations he had any role in alleged extortion and bribery.
Diack, son of ex-IAAF president Lamine Diack, is accused by French prosecutors of being part of an alleged "system of corruption" involving the blackmail of athletes who had failed drug tests.
He faces a possible life ban following an IAAF disciplinary hearing last week.
The organisation charged Diack Jr and three other men with ethics violations.
"There was no extortion of funds from any athlete," he told the BBC.
"I've never met any athlete, any agent, any person in the world...asking to have a payment.
"I deal with corporate sponsors, I deal with governments, I deal with municipal government, I deal with Olympic committees, I never dealt with any athlete or any agent, so I reject those allegations."
Along with Papa Diack, ex-IAAF anti-doping director Gabriel Dolle, former All-Russia Athletic Federation chief Valentin Balakhnichev and coach Alexei Melnikov are also charged with breaches of the governing body's code of ethics. A verdict is due in January.
The charges relate to the payment of about £435,000 that Russian former London Marathon winner Liliya Shobukhova allegedly made to have her doping violations covered up.
Her 38-month ban from track and field was reduced by seven months after she turned whistleblower for the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
Russia have been banned from international athletics competition after a report by Wada's independent commission alleged they were guilty of "state-sponsored doping".

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