Banned IAAF officials appeal to CAS
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 01/02/16 3:11pm
Three officials banned for life by athletics' world governing body the IAAF for blackmailing athletes and covering up positive drugs tests have appealed against the sanctions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Papa Massata Diack, the son of former IAAF president Lamine Diack, former Russian athletics federation (ARAF) president and IAAF treasurer Valentin Balakhnichev, and Alexei Melnikov, a senior ARAF coach, were handed the life bans on January 7.
The IAAF's ethics commission found that the trio had blackmailed Russian runner Liliya Shobukhova, London marathon winner in 2010, and made her pay a bribe for a positive drugs test to be covered up.
French police have issued an international wanted notice via Interpol for Diack junior over corruption allegations, while his father is also the subject of a police investigation over allegations of receiving money to cover up positive tests.
A statement from CAS released on Monday confirmed the three had appealed and that "CAS arbitration procedures are in progress" but said there would be no further comment at this time.
