USATF: IAAF Governance Must Change

(ATR) USA Track and Field officials tell Around the Rings that athletics must change in order to recover from widespread doping allegations.

"It has been clear, since allegations first started to be made public, that the governance of the IAAF must change to become more transparent in order to ensure accountability and credibility," says USATF president Stephanie Hightower.

New doping allegations implying that the IAAF Council must have known about the extent of Russian doping cover-ups surfaced on Thursday with the publication of part two of the WADA Independent Commission report.

"Today’s Independent Commission report reveals alleged activity that compromised the integrity of athletic competition and violated the rights of athletes, fans, federations and the integrity of the sport itself," says USATF chief executive officer Max Siegel.

Hightower tells ATR it’s "deeply disturbing" to learn about the alleged corruption as a newly elected IAAF Council member.

In the report, Pound says corruption was embedded in the IAAF and institutionalized by former president Lamine Diack.

"Here it started with the president of the organisation," says Pound. "It involved the treasurer of the organisation. It involved the personal counsel of the president, acting on instructions of the president. It involved two of the sons of the president. It involved the director of the medical and anti-doping department of the IAAF."

While the report condemns the former IAAF leadership, Pound told reporters he believes current president Seb Coe is the man to right the ship.

"There's an enormous amount of reputational recovery that needs to occur here and I can't think of anyone better than Lord Coe to lead that," says Pound.

Hightower says she agrees.

"I agree with Mr. Pound that President Sebastian Coe is the person to lead the sport into a new era and put these types of allegations in our past, not our future," Hightower tells ATR.

Coe says he recognizes how much work must be done in order to restore public confidence.

"The corruption that it has revealed is totally abhorrent, and a gross betrayal of trust by those involved," Coe said in a statement following the report. "We cannot change the past, but I am determined that we will learn from it and will not repeat its mistakes."

USATF says it will work with Coe in order to repair the image of the federation.

"USATF will continue to support the IAAF’s efforts to set a new course for its future and to clean up the sport in all areas, from anti-doping to ethics and governance," Siegel tells ATR.

Written by KevinNutley

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