(ATR) The International Association of Athletics Federations Disciplinary Tribunal upholds the provisional suspension of IAAF Council member Frank Fredericks.
An IOC member in Namibia, Fredericks was suspended from the athletics governing body in July for his suspected involvement in alleged vote-buying for the Rio 2016 Olympics. He is alleged to have received compensation from a company owned by the son of former IAAF president Lamine Diack close to the date of the 2016 Olympic host city election.
The investigation into these claims is being led by former English Court of Appeal judge Anthony Hooper, a magistrate with experience in sports integrity cases. The IAAF says that Fredericks retains the presumption of innocence while the investigation is underway.
It is suspected the investigation may not conclude prior to the IOC Session in Lima, Peru that begins Sep. 13. The fallout from the investigation could overshadow the IOC Session and awarding of the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics to Paris and Los Angeles.
Fredericks contends the payment received, about $300,000, was for consultancy work he performed that was unrelated to the host city election.
In March, Fredericks voluntarily stepped down from several administrative roles within the IOC and IAAF, including chairman of the 2024 Olympics Evaluation Commission and the 2018 Youth Olympic Coordination Commission as well as the IAAF Russia Task Force. His role as an IAAF Council member was the only one he retained prior to the Athletics Integrity Unit issuing its provisional suspension.
Fredericks appealed against the provisional suspension to an expanded panel of the Disciplinary Tribunal. The tribunal heard arguments from Fredericks and the AIU, agreeing with the AIU, declining to lift the provisional suspension while the investigation is ongoing.
Fredericks, twice a silver medalist as a sprinter, joined the IOC as a member of the Athletes Commission. In 2012 he was elected to a regular IOC seat when his term on the commission ended.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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