1 July 2019

British gold medalist & ‘sports icon’ implicated in blood doping

An indictment by French prosecutors against Lamine Diack, former President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and his son, Papa Massata Diack, has alleged that British athletes, including a Gold medalist and ‘sports icon’, were involved in blood doping at the London 2012 Olympics. Journalists said the document reveals that Valentin Balakhnichev, former Treasurer of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) and Vice President of the IAAF, spoke internally about abnormal blood values of several athletes at the London 2012 Olympics, including a British Gold Medalist, according to an email.

It is understood that the indictment document places Papa Massata Diack at the heart of corruption allegations, finding a chronological link between his US$1.7 million purchase of luxury watches and IAAF competitions. The document also alleges that two transfers were made to Black Tidings, a company allegedly controlled by Papa Diack, relating to the award of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Questions were also asked about why the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had awarded the 2022 Youth Olympic Games to Senegal. Papa Diack is currently in Senegal, which has refused to extradite him to France for trial. He has previously denied many of the allegations made against him. 

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