IAAF opt against investigation into allegations of Qatari bribes
Allegations of corruption during the bidding process to stage the 2017 World Athletics Championships will not be investigated further, governing body the IAAF has confirmed.
UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner said in January that a “senior person within the IAAF”, later confirmed as current president Lord Coe, had advised him that Qatar officials had offered bribes prior to the 2011 decision to award the event to London.
Coe insists he has no recollection of hearing such rumours or communicating information pertaining to this issue and the IAAF ethics board confirmed yesterday that no formal investigation would be opened. Qatar’s bid team strongly denied the claims.
“To date, none of the respondents have had any relevant evidence corroborative of Mr Warner’s recollection or relevant to the alleged factual matters the subject of the purported rumour,” read a statement. “Noting that there is no documentary evidence to corroborate Mr Warner’s recollection, the ethics board does not consider it has sufficient evidence to open a formal investigation.”
Warner headed the bid team that won the vote to stage the 2017 World Championships in London.