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Life bans for athletics powerbrokers

The former head of Russian athletics Valentin Balakhnichev, the country’s former head coach Aleksey Melnikov, and Papa Massata Diack, the son of the former IAAF President Lamine Diack, have all been banned from the sport for life over corruption charges.

Jan 08, 2016, updated Jan 08, 2016
Disgraced Russian Liliya Shobukhova leads the pack during the 2010 London Marathon. The IAAF has today banned several officials relating to bribes paid to cover up her doping. Photo: STEPHEN CHUNG / NEWZULU / AAP.

Disgraced Russian Liliya Shobukhova leads the pack during the 2010 London Marathon. The IAAF has today banned several officials relating to bribes paid to cover up her doping. Photo: STEPHEN CHUNG / NEWZULU / AAP.

The IAAF Ethics Commission made the announcement overnight, also banning the organisation’s former doping chief Gabrielle Dolle for five years, after all four men were found to have committed multiple breaches of anti-doping rules and been involved in the attempted cover up of positive drugs tests.

The bans follow from a World Anti-Doing Agency [WADA] report that found indications of a state-sponsored culture of doping in Russia. The report raised doubts that world athletics power Russia would be able to participate in this year’s Rio olympics.

Most of the charges involved Russian former London marathon winner Liliya Shobukhova, who paid $US600,000 [$A850,000] to have positive dope tests covered up. She provided evidence to WADA last year that led to Russia being suspended from athletics.

In a lengthy statement issued on Thursday night, Australian time, the IAAF Ethics Commission gave detail about the lengths to which all three senior men went, both in the initial corruption attempts and then in attempting to cover it up.

“The Panel considers in the light of its findings that VB [Balakhnichev], AM [Melnikov] and PMD [Diack] should be banned for life from any further involvement in any way in the sport of track and field,” the report stated.

“Any lesser sanction would not meet the gravity of their offences.

“In GD’s [Dolle’s] case such ban is also appropriate but in his case for five years only. His sins were those of omission, not commission.”

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Balakhnichev and Diack were also fined 25,000 dollars and Melnikov 15,000.

Russia’s R-Sport agency reported that Balakhnichev had described the ban as “politicised” and said that he intended to appeal.

Next Thursday, WADA’s independent commission is to release the second part of its investigation into doping and corruption and is expected to further criticise the IAAF’s role, having held back the release pending the police investigation.

-Reuters

Topics: athletics
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