IAAF head Coe set for another grilling by British lawmakers

Embattled world athletics supremo Sebastian Coe will face another session with British lawmakers to explain potentially damaging allegations made in a television documentary, it was claimed Friday.

A BBC documentary claimed Coe, elected president of the International Association of Athletics Federations last August, succeeding the now disgraced Lamine Diack, may have misled a parliamentary committee as to when he first knew about the Russian doping scandal and allegations of corruption against IAAF officials.

Coe said he had not opened an email attachment which contained an explosive allegation by the agent of Russian marathon runner Lilya Shobukhova that she had been blackmailed by Russian and IAAF officials including Papa Missata Diack, Diack's son, to the tune of 450,000 euros (£356,000, $505,000) over a failed dope test.

The email was reportedly sent to him by former 10,000 metres world record holder David Bedford.

"I think he (Coe) needs to explain and justify the reasons he acted as he did and the answers he gave to the committee last year (December)," lawmaker Damian Collins told AFP by phone.

"I would welcome an opportunity for us to question him because I don't think the evidence in Panorama (the documentary) is consistent with what he said to the committee.

"I don't think his explanation that he never opened the attachment is good enough."

Collins, first elected in 2010 after a career in advertising, said the reply Coe had given was astonishing.

"I'm not satisfied," said 42-year-old Collins. "If his defence is he didn't open attachments on the email he was sent I think it is really concerning.

"What he should have asked himself is why has David Bedford sent it to me, should I meet with him or speak to him. If Coe is then going to send it onto the IAAF Ethics Commission doesn't he want to know from them what the timetable is regarding on when they act on it and what are they going to do with it. 

"If someone thinks it is so important to seek him out why doesn't he bother to look at it. It is an extraordinary admission."

Collins, who has also been a prominent campaigner for more transparency within FIFA, said there were two possibilities for 59-year-old Coe's lack of inquisitiveness. 

"One is was he asleep at the wheel and a gross misjudgement on his part," said Collins.

"It is also a lack of curiosity when someone you know in British athletics seeks you out and who is really concerned it (the information in the email) is not being looked at and serious enough that this ARD documentary (broadcast on German television in December 2014) led to WADA opening their investigation."

"I think what he could have said to the Select Committee is 'yes I was aware about the allegations, people came to me and told me about them and I told the Ethics Commission'.

"Instead he said he wasn't aware of any specific allegations before they were broadcast.

"He has to explain that more fully. He can't just say 'oh I didn't open the email'."

Collins said he was concerned by Coe's reaction to the German documentary as being a 'declaration of war on the sport'.  

"People will question was it because he was running for the presidency and needed the support of the Diacks and other people and was reluctant to rock the boat," said Collins.

"That will be a concern people will have."

Source: AFP