Lord Coe accused of hindering doping investigation by chairman

LORD COE has been accused of not sharing information relevant to the Culture, Media and Sport select committee’s inquiry into doping by its chairman.

Coe told the committee in December 2015 he was “not aware” of specific allegations of corruption related to the Russian doping scandal.

The committee published yesterday an email from Coe to IAAF ethics board chairman Michael Beloff QC, sent in August 2014, in which Coe states he had received “copied documentation of serious allegations” made by Russian athlete Liliya Shobukhova.

A four-page letter written to CMS select committee chairman Damian Collins by Coe last week, detailing his recollection of events and why there is “no discrepancy” in what he told the panel in 2015, was also published yesterday by the committee.

Collins said: “Whatever excuse he gives, it is clear that Lord Coe decided not to share with the committee information that was relevant to our inquiry on doping in sport.”

Last month former London Marathon director Dave Bedford told the committee he had called, emailed and texted Coe in August 2014 to tell him about IAAF officials extorting 450,000 euros from Russian long-distance runner Shobukhova to cover up her doping.

Bedford also said he spoke to Coe about a related matter at a lunch in London in November. One MP on the panel, Nigel Huddleston, said this “undermined” Coe’s account, which was he “did not know about the specific allegations about Russian doping and corruption” until German reporter Hajo Seppelt’s documentary about the scandal on December 3, 2014, four months after Bedford’s warning.

In regards to Bedford’s email, Coe said he simply forwarded it, unread, to Beloff. Collins asked Coe to come back to parliament to clear up the matter but the former London 2012 chief responded to say he was not sure what 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB. email: sport@theherald.co.uk. Tel 0141 302 6590 Head of Sport: Stewart Weir further assistance he could give, and forwarded a screenshot of an email he sent to Beloff forwarding Bedford’s message. But that email was clearly not the first in the exchange between Coe and Beloff and Collins wrote back asking for any earlier emails between the pair. Coe has now complied with that request.

In a letter to Collins, Coe concludes by reiterating his belief that he has not misled the committee and says he trusts “this clarifies the matter to the satisfaction of the committee”.