New scandal in Kenya piles pressure on troubled Coe
THE International Association of Athletics Federations descended deeper into crisis last night with another senior official at the world governing body under investigation amid allegations of corruption. A fresh scandal exposed by doping investigators at German broadcaster ARD, and published yesterday by The Sunday Times, suggests IAAF council member David Okeyo was among three Kenyan athletics officials who allegedly siphoned more than £450,000 from money paid to Athletics Kenya (AK) as part of their sponsorship deal with Nike. Okeyo, AK’s vice-president and former secretary-general, chairman Isaiah Kiplagat and former treasurer Joseph Kinyua have been questioned by police in Kenya amid accusations that they paid themselves, mostly in cash, from the national federation’s bank account. At a time when Kenyan athletics is already in the spotlight over a rash of positive tests, there are further claims that when Nike renegotiated their deal with AK in 2003, ‘honoraria’ payments were promised to the same three officials. The IAAF released a statement yesterday, saying: ‘We were not aware of the investigation into Mr Okeyo in Kenya and the information has immediately been passed on to the independent IAAF ethics commission. ‘As (President) Sebastian Coe has announced, there will be new processes introduced to ensure all appointments to IAAF commissions and advisory groups in the future have been duly vetted and declared as ‘fit and proper persons’ to hold office. ‘Over 200 people were due to be appointed to new commissions and advisory groups at the council meeting at the end of this month but their appointment will now be delayed until the new procedures are in place.’ Former IAAF president Lamine Diack, his son Papa Massata Diack, legal advisor Habib Cisse and the former IAAF anti-doping chief Gabriel Dolle are already being investigated by French police over allegations they accepted bribes to cover up the positive tests of Russian drug cheats. The IAAF will hold a disciplinary hearing in London next month after the governing body charged Papa Massata Diack, Valentin Balakhnichev, Alexei Melnikov, and Dolle with alleged breaches of the IAAF code of ethics. But the fact that a member of the same council that voted for the suspension of the Russian Athletics Federation is now under investigation causes further embarrassment to the organisation and its president. Lord Coe has so far refused to stand down from his £100,000-ayear position as an ambassador of Nike but now the American sportswear giant finds itself linked to a police corruption inquiry in Kenya. Yesterday there was further discomfort for Coe in the form of a connection between him and one of Russian Athletics’ leading sponsors. While Coe’s representatives insist he has always declared any potential conflict of interest under the rules of the IAAF code of ethics, it has been highlighted that CSM — the international sports marketing firm Coe leads as executive chairman — counts top Russian Athletics sponsor Gazprom among its clients. It may also concern Coe that Russian officials already have a date in mind for the return to international athletics. The Russian Federation have been told they must become WADA code-compliant before any suspension is lifted but Mikhail Butov, general secretary of the Russian Federation, has said he is ‘optimistic’ they will back by February — in time for the world indoor championship in March in Portland, Oregon. That would surely please Nike when their headquarters are close by and Russia is among their sponsored teams. Sportsmail has asked the IAAF to clarify the issue of ‘honoraria’ payments for its president after being told Diack was paid a daily honorarium of around £450. In his 16 years as president, that would have amounted to around £160,000 a year for an unpaid role. Diack certainly enjoyed a lavish lifestyle before standing down, at 82, in the summer. In addition to payments received, he had use of a serviced, £10,000-a-month apartment in Monaco. But it is understood some council members were concerned when Diack revealed in August he had been paid what amounted to a full-time salary as president. The IAAF declined to comment on the issue but Diack’s personal expenditure is expected to come under review. The fact Coe is not paid by the IAAF has been given as a reason why he has not relinquished his role at Nike. But pressure on Coe and the governing body remains, with UK Athletics chief Ed Warner yesterday accusing them of being too soft on Russia. Warner told the BBC: ‘The benefits of the use of illegal performanceenhancing drugs persist well beyond, for example, a two-year ban.’