By Joanna Wall Tweedie
On January 14, 2016 the WADA Independent Commission (IC), chaired by Dick Pound, released its second report pertaining to the global track and field doping scandal. The second IC report details the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) involvement and confirms corruption at the highest level of the organization. The first IC report, released November 9, 2015, followed an almost year-long investigation into allegations of systematic and sophisticated state-sponsored doping within Russia’s athletics governing body (ARAF). Revelations in the first report ultimately resulted in the suspension of the ARAF from international competition.
Publication of the second report had been delayed to avoid interference with French authorities’ criminal investigation. The second IC report details the breakdown of governance structures within the IAAF that allowed for corruption and extortion. According to the report, former IAAF President, Lamine Diack, who held office for 16 years, was able to create an “informal illegitimate governance structure” (p.4) by inserting allies into positions of power. He hired his two sons, Papa Masada Diack and Khalil Diack as consultants, and engaged a presidential legal advisor, lawyer, Habib Cissé. This structure reportedly acted as a funnel through which information flowed between the President and internal staff with respect to Russian doping matters, allowing for the orchestrating of cover ups and eventually extortion of athletes. The rogue group provided information to Valentin Balakhnichev who was operating within the formal structure of the IAAF and concurrently president of the ARAF.
President Diack was reportedly able to inject Habib Cissé into the IAAF Medical and Anti-Doping Department. Despite negligible relevant experience, Cissé was given exclusive control of the Russian athlete doping cases. This move saw the usurpation of the Medical and Anti-Doping Department functions and pierced the “hermetic seal” (p.17) under which the department should operate. Cissé, with the cooperation of Department Administrator, Dr. Dollé, was able to delay and cover up cases of doping involving Russian athletes.
The IC reported that Cissé arranged the improper creation of a list of 23 suspected Russian athletes and his communication of findings to outside the department allowed for the extortion of athletes. Russian athlete, Liliya Shobukhova’s Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) was reviewed by an IAAF expert panel in December 2011 and deemed a case of “likely doping” (p.22). According to the report, ARAF’s Coach, Aleksey Vladmirovich Melnikov, Cissé and Balakhnichev, were involved in collecting an extortion sum of EUR 450,000 from Shobukhova. Cissé and Dollé reportedly worked within the Medical and Anti-Doping Department to delay proceedings of sanctions and Shobukhova continued to compete until 2014.
The report contains details of a second extortion case that involved Turkish athlete, Asli Alpetkin. Alpetkin was a gold medalist in the 1500m at the London Olympic Games 2012 and reportedly had an abnormal ABP prior to the event. The IC concluded that the Diack brothers “approach(ed) Alptekin to extort money. They also committed fraud by representing themselves as being able to cover up an ABP rule violation” (p.33).
The report includes details of a leaked email sent by IAAF Deputy Secretary General, Nick Davies to Papa Massata Diack on July 19, 2013. The email indicated that Davies was aware of the doping cases and complicit in delaying the publication of sanctioned athletes. The IC have emphasized that the IAAF Council and senior staff could not have been unaware of the extent of the doping and the non-enforcement of anti-doping rules. It is stated that there was “an evident lack of political appetite within the IAAF to confront Russia” (p.47). The IC suggest that the IAAF had lost sight of its role in protecting the global image of athletics and was instead concerned with “propping up a national federation that had allowed itself to become a doping haven” (p.43).
The IC explicitly refutes any attempts by the IAAF to suggest the corruption was isolated to a few rogue individuals and calls for governance reform. “The corruption was embedded in the organization. The IAAF allowed the conduct to occur and must accept its responsibility. Continued denial will simply make it more difficult to make genuine progress.” (p. 46). The IC faults the IAAF for having structures that allowed the creation and operations of the informal illegitimate governance structure and the usurpation of the Medical and Anti-Doping Department.
The third section of the report, provided some reprieve for the IAAF. The IC responded to allegations made on ADR Television and The Sunday Times that the anti-doping activities if the IAAF were inadequate. The allegations were based on the reports of two scientists’ reports from their analysis of an IAAF database of athletes’ blood test results 2001-2012. The IC concluded that no sanctions could have been obtained based on the contents of the database. The IC instead state that, “the IAAF was among the most active ADOs in the field of testing under the original EPO protocols and, subsequently, the ABP protocols. It has consistently followed accepted methodologies and has played an active role in the advancement of the applicable science” (p.51).
The IC suggest the IAAF corruption extended to involve the awarding of broadcasting and hosting rights. “There may be reason to believe that senior IAAF officials and others acting on their behalf may have benefitted from decisions of the IAAF to award certain cities and countries the IAAF Athletics World Championships.” (p. 34). The IC suggested “the IAAF should undertake a forensic examination of the relationship and how the rights were awarded to determine whether there were any improprieties.” (p. 14). Further, the report states that companies controlled by the Diack brothers and an associate, Ian Tan Tong Hang, could easily “cover up improper payments” (p.30). One of these companies is boldly named Black Tiding- in Hindu this means Black Marketing.
The IAAF, now headed by Sebastian Coe, is tasked with implementing the governance reform outlined by the IC and in pursuing integrity restoration in athletics. The French authorities’ criminal investigation is ongoing.
Joanna Wall Tweedie is a doctoral student at Florida State University.
