IOC ethics committee looks into Rio payment claims
Papa Massata Diack was banned for life from athletics last year over multimillion dollar corruption claims.
He was not immediately available to comment but has previously denied any involvement in bribery or corruption and says his father Lamine is also innocent.
Le Monde said Papa Massata Diack transferred almost $300,000 to a company linked to Fredericks, a multiple Olympic and world medallist over 100 and 200 metres.
Namibian Fredericks, now a member of the IAAF’s ruling Council who also heads the IOC evaluation commission for the 2024 Olympic bids, told Le Monde the money was paid for work he did to promote athletics in Africa between 2007 and 2011. “The payment has nothing whatsoever to do with the Olympic Games and I was not an IAAF board member at the time and did not breach any regulation or rule of ethics,” he told Le Monde.
The IOC said: “As far as Mr Fredericks is concerned, he informed the IOC and explained the situation and emphasised his innocence immediately upon being contacted by the journalist.
“The IOC trusts that Mr Fredericks will bring all the elements to prove his innocence against these allegations made by Le Monde.” ONGOING INVESTIGATION The IAAF said it was continuing to work with the French investigation on its ongoing criminal investigation.
“We can confirm that Frank Fredericks has been in contact with the IAAF Ethics Board this week and provided information relating to the substance of the press coverage today,” the ruling body said in a statement.
“He has indicated he is happy to assist the Ethics Board with any questions it may have,” the IAAF added.
Le Monde said Menezes Soares Filho is a close associate of Sergio Cabral, who was Rio governor at the time of the Olympic bid but resigned in April 2014 in the face of anticorruption protests.