Balakhnichev, Melnikov, Dollé & Diack

A Panel of the IAAF Ethics Commission has published a decision imposing life bans from participation in the sport of athletics on former Russian Athletics Federation President, Mr Balakhnichev, and Senior Coach, Mr Melnikov, and the IAAF’s former Marketing Consultant Mr Papa Massata Diack, in connection with the procurement of corrupt payments to conceal positive anti-doping results.  The Commission has also imposed a five-year ban on Mr Dollé, the IAAF’s former Head of Anti-Doping.
 
The Panel found that the first three named above had been involved in a conspiracy to extort monies from the marathon runner Lilya Shobukhova to conceal her breaches of anti-doping rules, and that their corrupt and dishonest actions had done severe damage to the sport of athletics and brought the sport into disrepute. The Panel found that Mr Dollé was in patent dereliction of duty for failing to act to prevent anti-doping disciplinary proceedings from being brought against Ms Shobukhova and for failing to prevent her from competing. 

The Panel was chaired by the Honourable Michael Beloff QC.  Tom Mountford and Jana Sadler-Forster are the Legal Secretaries to the IAAF Ethics Commission.

The full decision of the Panel can be accessed on the Ethics Commission’s website at: http://www.iaafethicscommission.org/decisions or read on the attached pdf.