Former IAAF Boss And Son Answer To Russian Doping Involvement

Former IAAF boss Lamine Diack and his son Papa Massata Diack have both responded to allegations that they were involved in the Russian doping scandal.

Former IAAF boss Lamine Diack and his son Papa Massata Diack have both responded to allegations that they were involved in the Russian doping scandal.

Lamine Diack who was head of the International  Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), now known as World Athletics, from 1999 to 2015.

The 86 year old Lamine Diack did acknowledge that Russia did pat out more towards TV and sponsorship rights as a way of paying off for the covering up of their on-going doping during the period.

He also added that Moscow donated 1.5 million Euro to the opposition in Senegal to help defeat then-president Abdoulaye Wade during his re-election campaign for the Senegalese 2012 elections.

His son Papa Massata Diack is, however, denying any knowledge or involvement in any of the allegations being made against him.

Papa Massata Diack is the former marketing consultant at the IAAF during the period of the allegations being leveled against him.

French prosecutors had indicted the Senegalese national along with his father who was meant to stand trial in January in France, but the Senegalese government are refusing to extradite the Papa Massata Diack who refused to travel alongside his father.

On 7 November 2019, Papa Massata Diack testified to a Senegalese magistrate that

“In all the years I worked with the IAAF and Dentsu-AMS (the IAAF marketing rights holders), I earned around 10 millions dollars (nine million euros) from sponsoring contracts and TV rights,”

“So I had no need to ask athletes to pay money for doping cases.”

The statement was sent to the French authorities but because they arrived late, the trial date had to be postponed to June to give authorities time to go the new information.

Diack junior is opposed to the trial as he says that France has no jurisdiction over the IAAF as his legal team went on to tell the Guardian in a letter:

“The IAAF is a private law association of Monaco and its head office is in the principality of Monaco,”

“The charges did not occur in France and no French legal person or individual was damaged by President Lamine Diackand his son.”

France, however, responded that they have jurisdiction comes from the fact that they suspect Papa Massata Diack of laundering money in France.

The pair are accused of receiving payments of between €100,000 and €600,000  to delay the doping sanctions delayed in order to allow them to participate at the London 2012 Olympics.

Diack junior has denied all charges against him about his involvement in the Russian doping scandal as well as having any knowledge of the political donation made to the Senegalese opposition party by Moscow.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here