Nestle pulls Athletics sponsorship over corruption scandal
Food and beverage giant Nestle has told the IAAF it will terminate its sponsorship of athletics’ governing body over fears the doping scandal could damage the company’s image.
IAAF president Sebastien Coe watches his predecessor Lamine Diack. Photo: Martin Rickett, PA Wire.
Nestle has been funding the kids’ athletics program for four years but decided to end the partnership “with immediate effect.”
“This decision was taken in light of negative publicity associated with allegations of corruption and doping in sport made against the IAAF,” Nestle said in a statement.
“We believe this could negatively impact our reputation and image and will therefore terminate our existing agreement with the IAAF, established in 2012.”
The IAAF, incensed by the Nestle announcement, is determined to hold the company to the final year of its contract. Rather than accepting the sponsor’s decision, the IAAF said it remained “in discussion with Nestle concerning the final year of its five-year partnership.”
“This has been a successful program with 15 million kids aged seven to 12 years in 76 countries taking part in fun team activities which promotes a healthy, active lifestyle,” the IAAF said.
The program was due to reach another 15 countries, involving another three million children, training 360 lecturers, and 8,640 physical education teachers, the IAAF added.
The Nestle decision is a blow to Sebastian Coe, whose first six months as IAAF president have been blighted by the extent of the corruption under predecessor Lamine Diack being exposed.
A World Anti-Doping Agency investigation found there was deeply rooted corruption on the inside by a “powerful rogue group” led by Diack, and they conspired to extort athletes and allow doping Russians to continue competing.
It comes as two Kenyan athletes banned for doping at the 2015 world championships say the chief executive of Athletics Kenya, the country’s governing body for track and field, asked them each for a $US24,000 ($A34,000) bribe to reduce their suspensions.
Joy Sakari and Francisca Koki Manunga told The Associated Press that CEO Isaac Mwangi asked for the payment in an October 16 meeting. They said they could not raise the money and were banned until 2019.
Mwangi is denying the allegation as “just a joke” and says he never met the athletes privately.
The runners say they would be willing to testify to the IAAF ethics commission that is investigating alleged corruption at Athletics Kenya.
The lead investigator, Sharad Rao, says their decision to come forward could be “very, very significant.”
-AP
