Seb Coe Labels IAAF Doping Allegations as "Declaration of War"

 

International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) presidential candidate Seb Coe claims the recent allegations of doping against athletics is "a declaration of war" against the sport.

Coe, who will be going head to head with Sergey Bubka for the IAAF presidency later this month, has defended the IAAF and its doping system after a report published by The Sunday Times and ARD/WDR earlier this week.

The IAAF released a statement yesterday labelling the allegations as 'sensationalist and confusing' and IAAF Vice-President Coe says the organisation is angered by the way the sport is portrayed and has called for a fightback.

Speaking to AP, Coe said: "It is a declaration of war on my sport.

"I take pretty grave exception to that. This, for me, is a fairly seminal moment. 

"There is nothing in our history of competence and integrity in drug-testing that warrants this kind of attack. We should not be cowering. We should come out fighting.

"Nobody should underestimate the anger at the way our sport has been portrayed.

"The fightback has to start here. We cannot be portrayed as a sport that is in any way dragging our heels."

Coe also denied the IAAF had been involved in covering up any doping in the sport.

"The use of that database, however it got into their possession, displayed either breathtaking ignorance or a level of malevolence around a set of readings you can simply cannot extrapolate beyond," he added.

"The idea that my sport sat there either covering up wrongdoing or just being incompetent could not be wider of the mark