News 11 November 2015

WADA report update: Open the floodgates (of resignations)

Diack resigns from International Athletics Foundation

Lamine Diack has resigned as President of the International Athletics Foundation (IAF), the charity that assists the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in ‘perpetuating the development and promotion of athletics worldwide.’ Diack, who was President of the IAAF until Sebastian Coe took over earlier this year, reportedly sent a letter of resignation to the IAAF. Diack has been President of the IAF since November 1999, following the death of the charity’s founder, Primo Nebiolo.

Lamine Diack was arrested by French police over allegations that he accepted money from Russian authorities in order to cover up positive doping tests. Following the release of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Independent Commission’s (IC) report into allegations of state-sponsored doping within the All- Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF), the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Ethics Commission proposed to provisionally suspend Diack from his honorary membership of the IOC.

 

Moscow laboratory Director resigns

The Director of the Moscow WADA-accredited laboratory has resigned. Laboratory officials were found by the WADA report to have been responsible for the ‘malicious destruction’ of 1,417 samples, after receiving notification from WADA to preserve target samples. The Director, Grigory Rodchenkov, was described in the report as being ‘at the heart’ of the of the positive drug test cover- up.

The WADA IC’s report recommended a life ban from sport for Rodchenkov. Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who said in an interview with Ruptly TV that the doping cover-up allegations were “without basis, and are fictional”, reportedly told the Russian news agency TASS of the resignation. According to the Financial Times, Mutko ‘paid tribute’ to Rodchenkov following his resignation, ‘describing him as a professional and saying that he had decided to leave in order “to carry all the negative with him”.’

You may also like...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This