Athletics: Corruption “integral part” of the IAAF, Coe called upon to act – Le Point

The pressure is more than ever on Sebastian Coe, head of world athletics: “Corruption was part of the IAAF” and its leaders “could not ignore the extent of doping,” he firmly told Thursday the Independent Inquiry Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) <. /> p>

Dick Pound, chairman of the commission, however, careful to point at a press conference in Munich (Germany) he thought “who better than Coe could” carry out reforms the IAAF.

What rejoice double 1500m Olympic champion (1980 and 1984), in the room, surrounded by journalists from around the world to the publication of the second part of 89 pages an explosive report about doping in the Russian athletics.

“If Coe had been aware of corruption, it would have intervened,” said Pound, lead author of the report, in a volte awesome face with respect to his comments of 8 January in The Times where he said that the former head of the London Olympics “had the opportunity, it long ago, to seize the problems.”

After the American Federation Paula Radcliffe has also supported Lord Coe to clean the IAAF: “I sincerely believe he is someone who cares about our sport and will fight to bring the necessary changes, “said the holder of the marathon world record on Sky News.

If Sebastien Coe is supported by the Committee of WADA, he is compelled to reform world athletics, at whose head he assumed in August after 15 years of rule by the Senegalese Lamine Diack

-. ‘Sheep scabby’ –

“The return of confidence will take a time and it will be a painful process, “admitted the Englishman, feeling” disgusting “revealed the corruption.

On August 9, minutes after his election at the head of FIFA, the same Coe had however assured wanting to “keep the values, heritage and solid foundation bequeathed by President Lamine Diack,” now considered “responsible for organizing the corruption within IAAF, “according to the report damning words.

Weakened by the departure end of December of his right arm, Nick Davies, suspected of attempting to delay the revelation of Russian doping cases, the boss London Olympics has also been implicated in recent months for its links with Nike, with whom he had to cut ties after 38 years of collaboration.

If Coe is relatively spared by the second part of report, Dick Pound and his assessors overwhelm the IAAF: “Corruption can not be attributed only to a few bad apples acting in isolation”, accused the commission in his closing arguments, described as “very political” by the Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko.

In Chapter corruption, the AMA board of inquiry has particularly focused on the curious increase 6 to $ 25 million of the broadcasting rights for the World Championships in 2013 in Moscow by Russian television, after a “sponsorship agreement” with the Russian bank VTB. Everything after a meeting in a Moscow hotel in 2012, notably involving Massata Papa Diack’s son, Lamine Diack, and Habib Cissé, counsel for the father Diack.

For the Commission of Inquiry, “it seems to be a connection between the allocation of TV rights to certain groups in exchange for the concealment of positive doping tests by Russian athletes.”

– The ‘nepotism’ clan Diack –

This meeting is a striking example of the system organized by the clan Diack, a “nepotism” that “the IAAF Council (the government) could not ignore,” insists the report, thus pointing Papa Massata and Khalil, two of the 15 children of Lamine Diack, who were employed by the Federation, but the margins of the official chart.

Already banned for life by the IAAF, Massata Papa Diack is also the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol, since December 17, said Eliane Houlette, patron saint of French national financial prosecutor who, after the publication of the report of WADA, an update in Munich on French investigation.

Launched in November by Interpol, led by France, the investigation was dubbed “Augean” as Hercules cleaned the stables had in mythology.

Lamine Diack, 82, was indicted twice by the French courts, for accepting bribes and aggravated laundering and corruption. Habib Cissé and Gabriel Dollé, former director of the medical department of the IAAF anti-doping, were also indicted by the French courts.

Lamine Diack is believed to have received a million euros as part of a blackmail scheme organized where athletes, Russian and others were held to ransom in exchange for not revealing their positive doping tests.

Two months after the first part, speaking on Throughout its 330 pages of “a culture deeply rooted cheating” in Russian athletics, Pound had promised new revelations “staggering” Thursday.

Nothing yet on Kenya, while this country African, came top in the medal at Worlds-2015 in Beijing, was in the crosshairs of the Canadian.

“We know that there is a problem,” Pound repeated, “but we n ‘have not investigate Kenya, this was not part of our mandate. ” “There could be another independent inquiry commission to take a look at Kenya, once the smoke is dissipated,” he warned, however.

To avoid a similar suspension one that could deprive athletics Rio Olympics, Kenya has promised her to eradicate doping because athletes are the “No.1 ambassadors” of the country.

01/14/2016 10:27:22 p.m. – Munich (Germany) (AFP) – By Damien Stroka Lucazeau and Olivier in Paris – AFP © 2016