Today’s Frequently Asked Questions

In an effort to be as transparent as possible and to ensure that the public have the same access to the information we provide the media, the IAAF will now regularly begin to share the questions we are frequently asked and our answers.

Sunday Times (UK)

QUESTION: The French prosecutor is investigating allegations that in 2011 the IAAF panel of experts found that eight Russian athletes had registered biological passport violations which merited bans.

ANSWER: These numbers differ from ours as does the timeframe.

QU: However, the Russian federation took no action and the IAAF did not appeal the cases via the Court of Arbitration of Sport.

AN: Not true. The IAAF went to the court of arbitration twice for 6 Russian athletes that currently fall within the WADA investigation.

QU: The allegation is that the reason no action was taken was because the Russian Federation had taken money from the athletes and had passed on bribes to Lamine Diack and Gabriel Dollé.

AN: We have no knowledge of this.

QU: Diack is alleged to have received 1m euros and Dolle is alleged to have received 200,000 euros.

AN: We have no knowledge of this.

QU: The bribes meant all eight athletes were allowed to compete at the London 2012 Olympics. One of those athletes won a gold medal and another won a silver medal at the London Games.

AN: At least 3 Russian athletes were not found in violation until after the 2012 Games.

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Quote given to the Sunday Times and Reuters from IAAF President Sebastian Coe

“Every doping case currently being investigated by WADA was first identified by the IAAF through its athlete biological passport (ABP) programme. Every athlete found in violation has been charged and sanctioned. The IAAF believes the period of disqualification of results was too leniently applied by the Russian Federation and has been seeking an extension of these disqualifications through the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) in fairness of clean athletes. The cases are currently pending before CAS.

“The best way to cover up an anti-doping case is NOT to test athletes at all. Through our ABP program the IAAF has tested more than 5000 athletes since 2009. We will continue to lead the fight against drugs in sport on behalf of all clean athletes. Those who cheat will be caught. Those who are caught will be thoroughly investigated. And the guilty will face the fullest sanctions available.

“That people in our sport have allegedly extorted money from athletes guilty of doping violations is abhorrent. That they were not able to cover up the doping results is testament to the system that the IAAF and WADA have jointly put in place.

“We are not complacent. Where there are fragilities in the system that may have allowed extortion, no matter how unsuccessful, we will strengthen them and the independent integrity unit which I will establish next month will include an independent tribunal to hear all integrity-related violations committed by international-level athletes and their support personnel. We will take the hearing process out of the hands of individual member federations.”

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Mail on Sunday (UK)

QU: Is the IAAF now investigating, internally, whether alleged dope test cover-ups go beyond the alleged Russian cover-ups being looked at involving the Diacks and Russia?

AN:
• Under the current WADA system established by WADA and to which the IAAF is fully compliant, it is impossible to have "dope test cover-ups”.

• All doping control results arising from the IAAF testing programme – in-competition tests, out-of-competition tests, urine tests, blood tests, including ABP tests – are systematically reported to the World Anti-Doping Agency and the IAAF Medical & Anti-Doping Department has to regularly update WADA as to the status of the doping cases (positive findings or ABP cases).

• No doping case has been covered up and if attempts were made in relation to a limited number of cases, as has been recently revealed, they all failed. The IAAF is very confident that the WADA report confirms this.

QU: Given that the current IAAF president's predecessor plus former head of anti-doping are now embroiled in cover-up allegations, what confidence does the current IAAF regime have that there HASN'T been a systematic cover-up of some failed tests / anomalous blood results? And why?

AN:
• The current IAAF regime is a regime that catches cheaters and that is fully transparent.

• As indicated above, all positive findings arising from IAAF tests are systematically reported by WADA which subsequently checks the follow-up by the IAAF. The IAAF has never received any complaint by WADA as to the follow-up of IAAF cases. If a federation fails to take follow-up action upon receipt of a positive finding or an abnormal blood profile, WADA has the possibility to refer the matter to the Court of Arbitration, which it has never done as regards cases under the responsibility of the IAAF.

• This applies equally to abnormal ABP profiles. Please read the IAAF Anti-Doping Regulations on the ABP review process and all the checks and balances it contains. You will then realise that it is impossible for an international federation which is fully compliant with the WADA system to cover up a case.

• You will be able to reference the WADA Independent Commission Report re the Sunday Times allegations.

QU: Can you confirm whether the information provided within that story assisted in your own investigations into Russian athletics in any way, or even confirm that you [the IAAF] ever investigated? If you did investigate, ahead of your flagship event, what did you do, practically? If you didn't investigate, why not?

AN:
• The claims centred on the WADA-accredited laboratory in Moscow which was subsequently subject to a thorough investigation by WADA. You would have to ask WADA whether your article was useful for their investigations.

• Please be aware that the IAAF has no jurisdiction to investigate wrongdoing by WADA-accredited laboratories.

• As for the situation of doping in Russia, there can be no doubt, in light of the numerous high-profile athletes caught by the IAAF (urine testing and ABP), that the IAAF has vigorously, and without any external help, chased Russian athletes suspected of doping. The list of sanctioned athletes caught by the IAAF speaks for itself.

QU: How much is VT Bank's sponsorship of the IAAF worth on an annual basis? And what influence, if any, has ANY person from VTB ever had on any aspect of anti-doping policy at the IAAF?

AN:
• Unfortunately I do not have a copy of the VT Bank contract so cannot share the exact amount of the contract with you at this moment. However, I can categorically state that NO person from VTB bank, or any other Official IAAF Commercial Partner has any influence whatsoever over the IAAF’s anti-doping policy

IAAF