RUSSIA DOPING AND CORRUPTION SCANDAL TIMELINE

PARIS: Timeline of athletics’ doping and corruption scandal ahead of Friday’s IAAF talks to determine Russian athletics’ fate: December 2014 3: German state broadcaster ARD airs “Secret Doping Dossier: How Russia produces its Winners” -- a damning 60-minute documentary alleging systematic state-sponsored doping in Russian athletics. 5: International Olympics Committee calls for investigation into doping claims. IOC president Thomas Bach says: “We are determined to get to the bottom of this.” 11: Russian athletics chief and IAAF treasurer Valentin Balakhnichev, and IAAF marketing consultant Pape Massata Diack, son of the then IAAF president Lamine Diack, step down while corruption and doping allegations are investigated by IAAF’s ethics commission. 16: World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) sets up three-person independent commission to investigate claims headed by its former chief, Canadian Dick Pound. August 2015 1: ARD airs second documentary “Doping - Top Secret: The Shadowy World of Athletics” - featuring new accusations aimed at Russian and Kenyan athletes. ARD and The Sunday Times said they were leaked a database belonging to athletics’ governing body with details of 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 competitors which revealed “extraordinary” levels of doping. IAAF accused of failing to follow up suspicious tests by hundreds of athletes including world champions and Olympic medal winners. 2: WADA president Craig Reedie says fresh accusations would “shake the foundation” of athletes trying to stay clean. 5: New doping claims “a declaration of war” on the sport -- IAAF presidential candidate and British track legend Sebastien Coe 19: Coe elected to succeed Diack as IAAF president November 2015 4: French police charge Lamine Diack with corruption on suspicion the 82-year-old Senegalese accepted bribes to cover up doping cases. Diack also charged with money laundering and conspiracy. His legal advisor Habib Cisse and former IAAF anti-doping doctor Gabriel Dolle charged with corruption. 6: IAAF cancels annual awards gala, with Coe explaining: “Given the cloud that hangs over our association this is clearly not the time for the global athletics family to be gathering in celebration of our sport.” IAAF opens disciplinary proceedings against Pape Massata Diack, Balakhnichev, Alexei Melnikov, former chief coach of Russia’s long distance walkers and runners, and Dolle. 7: Two days before WADA report is published co-author Richard McLaren tells the BBC: “This is going to be a real game-changer for sport” and that the scandal is “worse than FIFA”. 8: Coe tells AFP of his “shock, anger and sadness” at allegations of high-level bribery to cover up doping in track and field. 9: WADA publishes its report into the scandal, calling on Russian athletes to be banned from international competition including from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games until “statesponsored” doping is eradicated. 12: Russia sends official response to allegations to the IAAF “to prove our innocence” 13: The IAAF’s 26-strong council to decide what sanctions to impose on Russia. – AFP