International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) Ethics
Committee has banned four senior officials who were charged with
breaching anti-doping rules in relation to Russian athlete Liliya
Shobukhova.
Among the men banned is former IAAF president Lamine Diack's son,
Papa Massata Diack, who has received a lifetime ban from the sport along
with Russian officials Valentin Balakhnichev and Alexei Melnikov.
Th other official in question, Ex-IAAF anti-doping director Gabriel Dolle, has been given a five-year ban.
The investigation began in April 2014 after a referral of a complaint to the Ethics Board by a member of the IAAF staff.
In the the IAAF's ethics commission's findings it states: "The head
of a national federation, the senior coach of a major national team and a
marketing consultant for the IAAF conspired together (and, it may yet
be proven with others too) to conceal for more than three years
anti-doping violations by an athlete at what appeared to be the highest
pinnacle of her sport.
"All three compounded the vice of what they did by conspiring to
extort what were in substance bribes from Liliya Shobukhova by acts of
blackmail.
"They acted dishonestly and corruptly and did unprecedented damage to
the sport of track and field which, by their actions, they have brought
into serious disrepute."
A statement released by the IAAF said: "The IAAF is angered to see
that individuals have in the panel’s finding “conspired to extort what
were in substance bribes from the athlete by acts of blackmail.”
"Ultimately, the Department was able to ensure that the athlete
concerned received a lengthy ban, but the four individuals' activities
delayed that outcome.
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