IAAF Denies Discussing Covering Up Russian Doping Scandal

Sebastian Coe, president of the International Associations of Athletics Federations (IAAF), track and field's governing body, denies considering helping Russia cover up part of its widespread doping scandal by stealthily punishing lesser known athletes and handling other matters in private.  

"There is no cover up here," Coe, said in a CNN in an interview on Wednesday, (via Reuters). 

The allegations came after a series of emails were obtained by John Leicester of the Associated Press, which date back to 2009. Correspondence shows IAAF officials knew a high number of Russian athletes were doping as early as 2009 due questionable blood levels in new tests. 

"This matter of the Russian athletes' blood levels is now so serious and is not getting any better (in fact possibly getting worse) that immediate and drastic action is needed," Pierre Weiss, who served as the IAAF general secretary, wrote in a letter to former Russian athletics president Valentin Balakhnichev in October 2009. 

"Not only are these athletes cheating their fellow competitors but at these levels are putting their health and even their own lives in very serious danger," Weiss continued.

"I wasn't across any letters or internal communications that were emanating, but the overall principle has to be if there were abnormal readings were they followed up? They were. Were sanctions followed up? Yes, they were," Coe said, per Sky News, (via Reuters).

The IAAF, up until this time, had acted publicly unaware of the Russian doping scandal, which has led to a near wiping out of the country's international athletics program. Russia is currently banned from all international competition, and it's believed the country may have to sit out the 2016 Rio Games due to the scandal.

"For the moment they have to fulfil the conditions, but I cannot really see them competing in Rio," European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen told Ben Coldwell of Athletics Weekly. "We will have the first report to the IAAF in March but for the moment they have to really, really put a lot of effort in to compete in Rio. They must have a cultural change. They must get rid of all those people from before."

An internal estimate produced by the IAAF in 2012 said it believed up to 42 percent of Russian athletes were doping. Debate within the IAAF carried over well into the London Olympics process, which included a proposal to keep the banishment of lesser athletes who tested positive private.

"It is impossible to 'discreetly' remove from competition for two years athletes who are multiple world and/or Olympic champions," an internal memo read, per Leicester, indicating the IAAF could not protect high-profile athletes. "Their absence from major competitions will inevitably prompt questions and investigations from experts and the media."

The IAAF says the proposals were never put into place, a statement Balakhnichev confirmed in an interview with the AP.

"There were no secret bans. At least I didn't know and didn't hear about there being any," Balakhnichev said.

While internal memos make it clear the IAAF had a good idea Russia was running a widespread doping program, it claims there was not enough evidence for a suspension until the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) got involved. WADA was able to uncover the depth of the doping program, which included the athletics program and the Russian government itself. 

"We always said we had problems with Russia," Weiss told the AP. "We didn't have not any proof that the (athletics) federation was on the side of the doping. WADA found out more than we could ever find ourselves. Suspicion is not enough to suspend people."

As it stands, it's clear the IAAF is not an innocent bystander in this case. The fact that it even internally considered hiding bans from the public should be a major concern, as should the six-year waiting period between the strange tests and last year's ban. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.