Fredericks steps down from IAAF

KAMPALA: Namibian Frank Fredericks, former multiple Olympic and world championship medallist, has stepped down temporarily from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council, while he is under investigation for possible ethics violations.

IAAF president Sebastian Coe said: “I have spoken to him regularly since this issue came out and he decided to step away as he needs time to sort all this. He also indicated that he will not attend the Council meeting in London.”

The allegations against Fredericks in Le Monde, a French daily, concern a payment by the son of disgraced fomer IAAF president, Lamine Diack, to Fredericks, on the same day in 2009 that Rio was awarded the 2016 Olympics. This was revealed after investigations into alleged widespread corruption in world athletics.

The American Internal Revenue Service have produced evidence of Papa Diack making a transfer of $300 000 to a Seychelle company in 2009. Fredericks is linked to the company. Fredericks denied any wrongdoing at the time. He stated that the funds were supposed to be used for various international championships, marketing and the African Athletics Championships. – ANA