tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/sebastian-coe-19637/articlesSebastian Coe – The Conversation2017-03-26T08:30:03Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/749962017-03-26T08:30:03Z2017-03-26T08:30:03ZKenya runs the risk of an Olympic ban, thanks to boardroom power games<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/162348/original/image-20170324-12129-x0c0xl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot (left) and Hellen Obiri who won gold and silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes </span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Kenya topped the Africa medals table at the Rio Olympics last year. But this outstanding performance was overshadowed by the incompetence and corruption of its team management. The problems are so deep-rooted that the International Olympic Committee recently threatened to suspend the country after national affiliate officials voted against reform. Wycliffe W. Njororai Simiyu, explains the background</em></p>
<p><strong>What ails the Kenya national Olympic committee?</strong></p>
<p>The National Olympic Committee of Kenya’s inherent problems are <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/news/How-Kenya-lost-the-London-Olympics-plot/1056-1477232-a42pl9/index.html">not new</a>. What’s new is the alarming decline, which burst into view during the Rio Olympics last year. Numerous <a href="http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2017/03/09/ioc-suspend-kenya-olympics/">instances</a> of gross mismanagement came to the surface during the games involving accreditation, accommodation, travel and allowances. Corruption was also evident in the disappearance of official team kit and theft of cash.</p>
<p>What we are seeing today is a long-drawn fallout from Rio which set in with the arrest of several senior Olympic team officials soon after the games. These officials now <a href="http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/sports/2017/01/03/nock-officials-drop-stain-kenyas-brilliant-2016-athletics/">face charges</a> of using their positions to procure fraudulently Team Kenya kit provided under contract and stealing cash and uniforms meant for athletes.</p>
<p>Not even Kenyan athletes’<a href="http://www.iol.co.za/olympics-rio-2016/kenya-tops-african-medal-table-2059816">sterling</a> performances on the track were enough to mask the hurdles they had to overcome. The athletes had to endure haphazard travel arrangements, inadequate training gear and questionable allocation of places in the Olympic Village. </p>
<p>On top of this, a Kenyan official was <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/athletics/Michael-Rotich-recalled-from-Rio-after-doping-bribe-report/1100-3334866-format-xhtml-3obonq/index.html">ejected</a> from the games on doping-related bribery allegations. And a senior athletics coach, who arrived in Rio <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/news/The-scandal-of-Kenya-s-Rio-Olympics/1056-3343980-kvao27z/">unaccredited</a>, was expelled from the games for using an athlete’s pass.</p>
<p><strong>What is at the root of the current crisis?</strong></p>
<p>The crisis in Kenya’s Olympic committee’s stems from the questionable integrity of its long-serving office holders. The officials seem to have perfected the art of misusing the resources to the detriment of sport and the athletes.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, change will not come easily. The current constitution gives incumbent officials disproportionate power in any general assembly vote - which they often deploy as a <a href="http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2017/03/09/ioc-suspend-kenya-olympics/">bloc</a> to retain their positions. </p>
<p>But it’s clear that IOC wants to see change in the governance structure of the Kenyan committee. It would like to see a new constitution adopted that would bar incumbent officials from casting their vote at the general assemblies. This would change the current arrangement where the incumbents are virtually guaranteed retaining their seats during elections. </p>
<p><strong>There have been reports that Kenya could be suspended from the Olympic movement. What’s the background.</strong></p>
<p>The national outrage that greeted the Rio 2016 scandal led the sports minister to dissolve the national Olympic committee. He also set up a team to investigate the Rio affair. The IOC, which frowns on any official interference, threatened to suspend Kenya. </p>
<p>This dissolution was popular at the time. A cabinet secretary <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/news/I-am-also-a-victim-of-Rio-Olympics-cartel-says-minister/1056-3352298-95os78/">accused</a> Olympic officials of “living large in Brazil” and being “a law unto themselves”. But a judge quickly <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/news/nock-still-intact-after-Rio-Games-scam/1056-3802404-em7ehlz/">overturned</a> the government’s action after the national Olympic committee head Kipchoge Keino took the matter to court. </p>
<p>As a compromise, a <a href="http://www.aipsmedia.com/2016/09/03/19454/ioc-kenya-government-kipchoge">tripartite</a> group was convened, bringing together the national committee, the sports minister and the IOC. Its aim was to improve governance through a new constitution that would allow for change in the membership of the national committee. As things stand, the incumbent officials outnumber the rest of the delegates. </p>
<p>But because the old constitution was used to convene the special general meeting called to ratify the new regulations, current officials used their superior numbers to <a href="https://citizentv.co.ke/sports/kenya-risks-ioc-ban-after-nock-bosses-shoot-down-constitution-159921/">defeat</a> it. </p>
<p>One of the key consequences of not passing the new constitution has been the swift withholding of <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-kenya-olympics-idUSKBN16P0C4">funds</a> by the IOC. More sanctions could follow if a new constitution is not put in place. </p>
<p><strong>What would the impact of such a suspension be on Kenyan sport?</strong></p>
<p>A suspension would put Kenya in the company of oil-rich <a href="https://www.olympic.org/news/suspension-of-the-kuwait-olympic-committee">Kuwait</a>, which was sidelined for passing a law that ran counter to the <a href="https://www.olympic.org/ioc-governance-national-olympic-committees">mission</a> of the Olympic movement. </p>
<p>A suspended nation loses money to develop sports programmes and infrastructure. It also loses representation in IOC sanctioned events at the international level. But athletes can participate in events as individuals under the Olympic banner, similar to political refugees. </p>
<p><strong>Is the IOC’s interest in Kenya warranted? Are there other countries on its radar?</strong></p>
<p>I think the push for improved governance in sport is a worldwide phenomenon and not just a Kenyan issue. At the global level, there was worldwide attention when FIFA officials were in the <a href="http://nypost.com/2015/05/27/top-fifa-officials-arrested-in-corruption-case/">spotlight</a> in 2015. The then powerful FIFA president Sepp Blatter was forced out of office following allegations of bribery, corruption and general mismanagement. </p>
<p>These high profile scandals elicited international outrage and unprecedented action. US law enforcement led the way in <a href="http://miami.cbslocal.com/2015/12/03/two-top-fifa-officialls-arrested-in-pre-dawn-raid-in-zurich/">arresting</a> FIFA officials that were suspected of engaging in questionable deals. </p>
<p>The Rio fiasco presented the IOC with a good opportunity to intervene and demand action for long-term reform. This was better than responding with a suspension for political interference. The IOC’s collaboration with the government and the national committee to create a more responsive, transparent and responsible organisation is commendable. </p>
<p>And if the stalemate continues, the IOC may suspend Kenya due to a lack of goodwill and desire for change in governance by its own affiliate.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/74996/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wycliffe W. Njororai Simiyu is affiliated with Department of Health and Kinesiology, University of Texas at Tyler, Texas, USA </span></em></p>The International Olympic Committee could suspend Kenya, putting it in the company of Kuwait.Wycliffe W. Njororai Simiyu, Professor, Health and Kinesiology, University of Texas at TylerLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/615872016-07-01T12:12:38Z2016-07-01T12:12:38ZSeven steps to reboot the fight against doping in sport<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128974/original/image-20160701-18328-126ovrh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2048%2C1364&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Using our heads. New ways to battle doping in Olympic year.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thelastminute/7711916854/in/photolist-cKtAcG-cTQ6C9-cPfvXL-kgkCJV-7DqVnQ-7Coa1V-81ogs4-7Hkbks-cKF8SL-cGLmM3-bNCRuV-3SkZ1x-ez5EXV-7q6M3g-duoQXQ-onExzV-pef47-cGLgm5-81ofxt-cF5fVQ-7qwnnU-cH8RPj-cJKpUm-qHTJvh-cBeP9j-dFR75x-cJKpqC-ekm54b-3TPbzG-7q6MiZ-cx2tnG-cRvAYu-cmpWvu-8sPs4d-dAuFFu-6dATYw-cFjMhu-cL7YAu-cPiGS3-cf9Z5W-qz6PuH-bPTCEK-39XWRW-k9YhoU-cUzdKd-ddATwx-7LitJV-baJnbM-cb5wS1-4vMh8G">Duncan Rawlinson/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/17/sports/olympics/russia-olympic-ban-iaaf-track-and-field.html?_r=0">disqualification of Russia</a> from the Rio Olympics appears to be a triumph for anti-doping. The World Anti-Doping Agency’s independent commission produced enough evidence to justify support for a ban from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Association of Athletics Federations. We might yet see other sports organisations imposing sanctions on athletes.</p>
<p>However, there is another side to anti-doping’s apparent success. It is unlikely that we are close to catching the real number of dopers, and there remain calls for <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/dick-pound-we-will-never-end-doping-despite-our-small-victories-a6747296.html">more investigations</a>. So amid all the grandstanding, its effectiveness has been <a href="http://espn.go.com/olympics/trackandfield/story/_/id/14571339/doping-scandal-wada-latest-commission-report-again-lacks-enough-punch-solve-bigger-problem">called into question</a>, alongside its politics. After all, the IOC was a close partner in WADA’s formation and provides half its funding. WADA’s first president and current president have held prominent positions in the IOC, and there is a <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/opinion/14580348.Sir_Craig_and_Coe_are_symptomatic_of_a_more_dangerous_problem__the_old_boys____club/">close-knit culture across leading organisations</a>. </p>
<p>At the same time, decisions made about <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09523367.2013.826652">relatively minor cases</a> have prompted controversy due to both unnecessarily harsh outcomes and <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09687637.2015.1029872">inconsistent sanctions</a>. It feels like a crucial moment, and a good one to propose some practical steps which can improve the current approach.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128980/original/image-20160701-18331-k2xdlp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128980/original/image-20160701-18331-k2xdlp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128980/original/image-20160701-18331-k2xdlp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128980/original/image-20160701-18331-k2xdlp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128980/original/image-20160701-18331-k2xdlp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128980/original/image-20160701-18331-k2xdlp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128980/original/image-20160701-18331-k2xdlp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128980/original/image-20160701-18331-k2xdlp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Should the architecture of anti-doping be rethought?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gordonr/2809571698/in/photolist-bCjx4A-acyZAY-7jfqm2-jHUZb-5hgMMm-6v4P68-oo5xeE-5hcrsK-nCk13Q-eVpkrD-fSmJne-kQ7DAH-qajsHr-bWNhY9-bWNx49-cXCApq-dZ9dNh-68qcHY-68kZiZ-fUQCmF-a9KbCo">Gordon Ross/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>1. More effective use of resources</h2>
<p>Current policy involves regular testing of all elite athletes for a wide range of drugs. Were this approach to be rationalised, resources could be freed up to tackle the more significant problem of organised systematic doping in some countries. </p>
<p>One idea would be to give up testing for recreational, non-performance enhancing drugs. Another might be to define the drugs that are most likely to be used in each sport and test only for those. It might also be the case that some sports and countries simply run fewer tests if it can be established that the levels of doping risk are low.</p>
<p>Current policy assumes blanket testing to be the best deterrent. That might be so, but in order to catch the bigger fish, we might just have to let a few smaller ones go.</p>
<h2>2. Engage with new people</h2>
<p>Controlling drugs in sport needs international cooperation. Inspiration could come from progress on something like vaccination policies that have led to significant changes in immunisation <a href="http://www.who.int/immunization/programmes_systems/en/">on a global scale</a>. We might invite advice from non-sports experts and researchers from business, health research or policy areas that have shown successful cooperation. </p>
<p>There are models that move away from an absolutist “war on drugs” approach, but which are still effective. Take the idea of “complex systems” which <a href="http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/for-those-who-seek-to-strengthen-alcohol-regulation-the-experience-of-tobacco-control-shows-that-comprehensive-policy-change-is-neither-quick-nor-inevitable/">encourages a more flexible understanding</a> of rules and targets by people directly involved and who can better understand and adapt to rapidly-changing circumstances at local level.</p>
<h2>3. Support for whistleblowers</h2>
<p>Those who come forward with inside information need to know they will be taken seriously and protected. This requires an independent body that protects their identity and makes sure evidence is taken seriously. There needs to be financial support to encourage whistleblowing, which can help inform more efficient and effective investigations. Recent failures to follow up on information, engage with people who try to help, and reduce personal risk, has <a href="http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/16209580/doping-whistleblowers-such-stepanovs-kara-goucher-often-left-dangling-taking-sports-bodies-governing-bodies">shown this to be a major issue</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128984/original/image-20160701-18328-14ha8au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128984/original/image-20160701-18328-14ha8au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128984/original/image-20160701-18328-14ha8au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128984/original/image-20160701-18328-14ha8au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128984/original/image-20160701-18328-14ha8au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128984/original/image-20160701-18328-14ha8au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128984/original/image-20160701-18328-14ha8au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128984/original/image-20160701-18328-14ha8au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Protection for the brave.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/3830805160/in/photolist-6QvSUQ-rCDhaM-AYF6f-aALM6K-b8ANZ6-fJYykX-j3PrXp-hA58Wf-jLXD1D-p9VZaF-7zCYFN-j6jQbq-na37Xb-gU4SpU-83VpGi-8VSGu1-j6eyEf-79Azik-dBzWTd-fMbrRY-djGCj6-4uNaMt-czx2aQ-5CCyTe-rg6oo3-e1eLng-bYry9m-cvr1gf-aqdvZr-cjTSP9-8H5tLu-cjTMfJ-quPoqA-4SLSBk-jp8uwr-jKSyjo-qNe58M-qeLwTU-qopQpM-9FKCXh-5qBpV2-pZZf3D-nGqW7x-ouMEvY-mW6Wzx-n7tKm6-pRctCG-CL1jUA-owKBJ6-owe2XD">Steven Depolo/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>4. Evaluation of WADA</h2>
<p>The paradox of setting up WADA as an independent agency is a lack of certainty regarding accountability and performance measures. There should be criteria by which success and failure are judged, transparency of decision-making, and regular review of policy implementation processes. Since governments provide <a href="https://www.wada-ama.org/en/funding">half of WADA’s funding</a>, they are well positioned to request auditing information as part of the contract, and can influence policy methods. Currently, the organisation doesn’t appear to have a transparent reporting system to any external body.</p>
<h2>5. Easier and cheaper appeals</h2>
<p>Much of the criticism and <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19406940.2016.1170716?journalCode=risp20">concerns expressed by athletes</a> of the current system have emerged because some athletes who are completely innocent or who have made a genuine mistake are treated in the same way as deliberate doping cheats. The routes of appeal are limited. You can either go to a national anti-doping agency tribunal or take your case to the <a href="http://www.ukad.org.uk/what-we-do/results-management">Court of Arbitration for Sport</a>. One solution might be that each country has a corpus of trained volunteers who could be invited to decide upon ad hoc appeals. Decisions could be made quickly so that the athlete can return to their sport.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128985/original/image-20160701-18317-6uf2ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128985/original/image-20160701-18317-6uf2ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128985/original/image-20160701-18317-6uf2ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128985/original/image-20160701-18317-6uf2ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128985/original/image-20160701-18317-6uf2ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128985/original/image-20160701-18317-6uf2ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128985/original/image-20160701-18317-6uf2ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128985/original/image-20160701-18317-6uf2ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">To the point.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ad-vantage/456313094/in/photolist-GjHZ9-4m7ZyL-8mkoo3-9ygytn-LxzJe-gLGgp-93SgZZ-8mh8Mi-9ueWY6-ceFg2s-5Xd9Dd-oTLF7A-91J5-f2aq21-93SZ1B-9ygzd6-9ueWYX-ifM5NH-3K6Zu5-9yjxzW-8b7aZY-a7dZZ-KV1Vm-arpkGF-6YMxaQ-73qTx7-4BmV8e-5cUXKk-4m3WSB-5nPiDj-6wuZoV-8ZpZLJ-aeqNep-8mhe6F-6dm98k-cMuBgJ-61nWwh-6EZAr6-4VV4F9-9pW8cb-4VV4FJ-4VV4G3-4VV4Fo-523zAL-4VQZ24-2E9pk-4VQZ28-4VQZ2c-4VV4Fs-oZcRBq">agressti vanessa/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>6. Have critical friends</h2>
<p>Anti-doping agencies and other sports organisations should invite guidance from other fields of expertise. If critics were treated with respect and invited to share ideas and propose solutions, then some fresh thinking might lead to real improvements. I was <a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/academic-is-sacked-over-doping-views-0k7b6hk7b">invited to leave</a> the US Cycling Anti-Doping Committee simply for expressing ideas that <a href="http://www.sportsintegrityinitiative.com/opinion-issues-faced-by-critical-academics-in-anti-doping/">challenged existing policy ideas and practice</a>. </p>
<p>There are many people willing to help if the opportunity was presented to them. The first step could be as simple as an online forum for comments, criticisms and suggestions that are coordinated independently and presented to WADA. The present situation appears to be that if you are critical, you are not invited to join the discussion. Even media investigations have been attacked; witness <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/33784236">the response from Sebastian Coe</a> after blood doping revelations.</p>
<h2>7. Start again</h2>
<p>Everything above will have more chance of success if it is part of a completely fresh start to anti-doping that prioritises fairness and health in a more balanced way. Involving athletes at the heart of strategy and planning would help create values and processes that other athletes could buy into. Building trust by reducing systematic doping through targeted efforts would build confidence and a better sense of purpose. A more realistic and accepting attitude to accidental doping cases can avoid unethical and unfair impacts on athletes’ lives.</p>
<p>Anti-doping is facing a crisis, the resolution of which may just require a re-orientation of objectives and methods based on key principles, values and innovative strategies. At the very least it would help to bring different perspectives together for a conversation on what has gone wrong, what needs to change and how best to move forward towards a different future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61587/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Dimeo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The ban on Russian athletes at the Rio Olympics feels like a victory, but it masks an insular system which is spread too thin.Paul Dimeo, Senior Lecturer in Sport, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/611992016-06-18T05:03:41Z2016-06-18T05:03:41ZOn track for the Rio Olympics? IAAF ban means Russian athletes may not compete<p>The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has upheld its ban on the Russian Athletic Federation (RUSAF) from competing in the Rio 2016 Olympics. But the head of the IAAF, Sebastian Coe, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-18/russian-athletics-ban-upheld-ahead-of-rio/7522392?WT.mc_id=newsmail">said</a> “athletes who are not tested under the Russian system but in systems that have effective anti-doping programs will have their individual cases assessed”.</p>
<p>In November 2015, the IAAF <a href="http://www.sportsintegrityinitiative.com/iaaf-votes-to-provisionally-suspend-russia/">suspended</a> RUSAF from competing in the wake of claims that Russian anti-doping officials, athletes and support personnel were engaged in conduct prejudicial to the interests of fairness in sport.</p>
<p>The ban stemmed from <a href="http://www.sportsintegrityinitiative.com/a-timeline-allegations-against-the-russian-athletics-federation/">revelations</a> by Russian whistleblowers and the work of investigative journalists in Germany. Their allegations pointed to systemic – even state-sanctioned – doping. </p>
<p>After the ban, RUSAF was provided with a substantial list of “<a href="http://www.sportsintegrityinitiative.com/araf-reinstatement-conditions-and-verification-criteria/">conditions</a>” it needed to meet for reinstatement, but the IAAF is now in unanimous agreement that these have <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/news/press-release/iaaf-council-meeting-vienna">not been met</a>. </p>
<p>Now the body has extended the <a href="http://www.aipsmedia.com/2016/06/17/18951/iaaf-russia-ban-rio-2016">suspension of RUSAF</a>; its intended effect is that Russian track athletes and support personnel will not be eligible to take part in the 2016 Rio Olympics. </p>
<p>The IAAF move has been described by Richard Ings, former head of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, as a “<a href="https://twitter.com/ringsau/status/743959511572975617">watershed moment in anti doping</a>”. It’s the first time a sport federation has suffered consequences for non-compliance to anti-doping. But will it mean Russian track-and-field athletes have no chance of competing at Rio?</p>
<h2>Starting blocks</h2>
<p>The ban on RUSAF imposes punishment on an organisation and, by extension, all of the athletes it represents. </p>
<p>The IAAF, anticipating that individuals may argue that it is unfair for them to be made responsible for the failings of a peak body, has already signalled that if athletes can “demonstrably prove” they are clean, then <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/news/press-release/iaaf-council-meeting-vienna">appeals</a> can be made.</p>
<p>Any individual athlete who can clearly and convincingly show they are not tainted by the Russian system because they have been outside the country, and subject to other, effective anti-doping systems (including effective drug-testing), should be able to apply for permission to compete in international competitions, not for Russia but as a neutral athlete.</p>
<p>The proposition alters the normal burden of proof: for an athlete to be found guilty of doping, an adverse finding is needed by an anti-doping authority. In the IAAF’s case, this is not being claimed. Rather, athletes are suspended on suspicion of being complicit in doping, with the accused needing to demonstrate their innocence (or at least distance) from such influence. </p>
<p>This unprecedented situation is set to be a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-sport-doping-russia-reaction-idUSKCN0Z32C3">legal and political</a> minefield.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is considering its response. It will meet in Lausanne on June 21, to <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3647027/Russias-athletics-ban-remains-following-unanimous-vote-IAAF-council.html">discuss the RUSAF saga</a>. </p>
<p>Intriguingly, the IOC has the power to either accept or reject the IAAF ruling: the Olympic Games are its event by invitation. The most likely scenario, according to <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/36422629">Dan Roan of the BBC</a>, is that the IOC – with the co-operation of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) – will accelerate the appeal process for Russian athletes, while remaining true to the position that RUSAF is banned. </p>
<p>Indeed, CAS secretary-general <a href="http://isportconnect.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35249&catid=44&Itemid=50">Matthieu Reeb</a> said “the organisation was prepared to hear urgent cases right up to the opening ceremony in Rio”.</p>
<h2>Breaking the tape</h2>
<p>The RUSAF case is confounded by some extraordinary failures by the <a href="https://www.wada-ama.org/">World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)</a> and the IAAF, all of which call into question the capacity – and indeed the independence – of organisations that are charged with the ethical management of anti-doping. </p>
<p>On April 30, 2015, WADA president Sir Craig Reedie sent an email to Russia’s most senior anti-doping official with a message of “comfort” that his organisation had no intention of instigating a “<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-3207651/WADA-president-Sir-Craig-Reedie-s-comfort-email-Russia-s-senior-drug-buster-reveals-toothless-clampdown-doping.html">clampdown on Russian doping</a>”. Incredibly, this correspondence took place after a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIkiC3iT0GA">German documentary</a> alleging systematic doping in Russia, and featuring athletes who admitted to being part of that regime, was aired.</p>
<p>The IAAF was no better. In January 2016, it expelled <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jan/07/iaaf-bans-four-officials-doping-papa-massata-diack">four senior officials</a> after it was revealed they conspired to extort money from an athlete who tested positive in return for hiding the adverse findings. The biggest scalp was Lamine Diack, who had been president of the IAAF from 1999 to 2011.</p>
<p>An <a href="https://www.wada-ama.org/en/resources/world-anti-doping-program/independent-commission-report-2">independent commission</a> established by WADA, headed by the renowned anti-doping advocate Dick Pound, concluded that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Lamine Diack was responsible for organizing and enabling the conspiracy and corruption that took place in the IAAF. He sanctioned and appears to have had personal knowledge of the fraud and the extortion of athletes carried out by the actions of the informal illegitimate governance structure he put in place.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>These examples indicate that, while a focus of concern with RUSAF has been critical, it is also crucial to re-examine the efficacy and trustworthiness of sport officials charged with the management of anti-doping. Russia has serious doping issues, but it would be naïve to make it the scapegoat for global problems of competition integrity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61199/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daryl Adair does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The International Association of Athletics Federations has upheld its ban on the Russian Athletic Federation from competing in the Rio 2016 Olympics.Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/504372015-11-13T11:01:28Z2015-11-13T11:01:28ZCycling might hold the key for athletics to move past its annus horribilis<p>When a German TV documentary made some astonishing claims about systemic doping in Russian athletics last December, who knew it would end up like this? Athletics is now searching for answers after the release of a report which confirms the content of that broadcast. And some of those answers might lie in a sport that has already been forced to face its demons.</p>
<p>Based principally on evidence provided by a former Russian anti-doping official, the German documentary alleged that leading Russian athletics officials supplied banned substances in exchange for 5% of an athlete’s earnings. There were also allegations both of doping control officers colluding with athletes to falsify tests and attempting to blackmail athletes who had tested positive. </p>
<p>A subsequent investigation by the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/33824471">Sunday Times</a>, based on an analysis of 12,000 blood tests taken from 5,000 athletes over the past decade, reinforced the view that Russia is the “epicentre” of blood doping in sport. And earlier this month, French prosecutors <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/nov/08/russia-expulsion-doping-report-iaaf">announced</a> that the former President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) – the sport’s world governing body – is being investigated over allegations he took payments for deferring sanctions against Russian drugs cheats.</p>
<p>The commission established by the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA), which had supplied the information which prompted the French probe, essentially concluded that the German investigation was accurate. Now, the eyes of the sporting world are on current IAAF president, Sebastian Coe, who has to decide <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/nov/12/russia-iaaf-ban-doping-sebastian-coe-vladimir-putin-olympics">whether to boot out Russia</a> as he attempts to restore the credibility of the sport, less than 10 months before the start of the <a href="https://uk.news.yahoo.com/iaaf-russia-await-report-blackmail-doping-104340908--spt.html#vsXAHcf">2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games</a>. </p>
<h2>Learning cycle</h2>
<p>The best advice to give Coe is that he should phone fellow Briton, Brian Cookson, president of cycling’s world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). He has had to introduce sweeping reforms in light of a similar deluge of doping allegations in that sport.</p>
<p>Two of the UCI’s proposed reforms are of interest. First, the establishment of an independent anti-doping tribunal specific to the sport and consisting of judges specialised in anti-doping claims. The UCI’s idea is that such a tribunal would remove the current operational burden of doping trials from national federations and ensure consistency in doping case decisions, reducing the number that go to the <a href="http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/cycling-teams-can-now-suspended-doping-cases-151337">Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)</a> on appeal.</p>
<p>The UCI also has proposed that before a team can be registered to compete in the sport it must show evidence of a minimum level of compliance with anti-doping regulations. If not, that team license to compete can be withheld. Moreover, where there is proof of systemic doping, the UCI reforms suggest that the team ought to be suspended for an escalating period of months. </p>
<p>This licencing/team-suspension model could be adapted by the IAAF to athletics. On proof of systemic doping at a national level, the governing national federation could be held vicariously liable for the action of its athletes. And if the national federations in question did not satisfy an anti-doping licencing regime, then their athletes could be banned from competing internationally.</p>
<h2>This Sporting Life</h2>
<p>The WADA report also has wider repercussions. The allegations in the German TV documentary were not confined to athletics. They referred to doping conspiracies in a host of endurance events, including collusion at a troika of Russian government-funded agencies – the national anti-doping agency, the national athletics federation and the nation’s <a href="https://www.wada-ama.org/en/resources/world-anti-doping-program/independent-commission-report-1">WADA-accredited anti-doping laboratory in Moscow</a>.</p>
<p>Russia’s problem becomes the world’s problem as doubt is cast on medals won by its athletes not just at the London Olympics of 2012, but also at the 2013 World Athletics Championships (held in Moscow), the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and this year’s World Swimming Championship, held in Kazan. Moreover, it is likely that football’s world governing body, FIFA, will have to look again at who manages its onsite anti-doping programme for the World Cup in 2018 in Russia. </p>
<p>Another worry for WADA will relate to its own operations. In 2013, a record <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/33686397">283,304 samples</a> were analysed by WADA-accredited laboratories. Russia was second only to China in the number of tests carried out. Adverse findings were returned for only 1.36% of tests, but how credible now is this finding that 98.64% were negative? </p>
<p>But perhaps the most crucial lesson to draw from the WADA report is that it once again reveals a core weakness in the political governance of world sport – the lack of a separation of powers. In global sporting terms, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is sport’s public House of Representatives. WADA has been delegated executive powers to deal with doping; CAS acts as sport’s judiciary. </p>
<p>While questions about the individual effects of each branch remain – and in particular the lack of athlete representation – of equal importance is the close-knit relationship between all three, and the lack of transparency. There is, for example, unnecessary crossover in the membership of the executives of the IOC, CAS and WADA. </p>
<p>In short, 2015 may go down as sport’s annus horribilis with a combination of doping and corruption allegations still pending against the UCI, FIFA and the IAAF. The wider picture is that sport is condemned to repeat its mistakes until it fixes a loose, self-regulatory governance structure with origins in the <a href="http://www.bl.uk/sportandsociety/exploresocsci/sportsoc/history/articles/histsportrev1.pdf">19th century</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/50437/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jack Anderson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A massive doping problem in the Lance Armstrong era has inspired some useful reform ideas, but governance issues must be solved as well.Jack Anderson, Professor of Sports Law, Queen's University BelfastLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/504802015-11-10T16:21:03Z2015-11-10T16:21:03ZSebastian Coe faces a monumental task in cleaning up athletics<p>Athletics is, in many ways, the purest of all sports. Questions about who can run the fastest, jump the highest (or the longest) or throw the furthest are some of the most fundamental asked in any physical competition. The disciplines were at the heart of the ancient Olympics and it’s hard to argue that any events capture the imagination at the modern Games quite like track and field.</p>
<p>But the <a href="https://theconversation.com/athletics-doping-report-should-spark-radical-rethink-on-drugs-in-sport-50376">allegations raised by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report</a> on November 9, of widespread and systematic doping, collusion and cover-up, are as far removed from the Olympic spirit as can be imagined. It is not too dramatic to say that they have rocked athletics to its core and it is is going to take a long time before it fully recovers. In fact, it is quite likely that things are going to get worse, quite plausibly much worse, before they get better.</p>
<p>Dick Pound, the former president of WADA, has published the report of his investigation into allegations by a <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/a-timeline-of-iaaf-doping-scandal/a-18836663">German TV programme</a> that Russian athletes have systematically been taking performance enhancing drugs. Even more damning, the report alleges that the Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) has been just as systematically helping them to cover their tracks.</p>
<p>Everyone knew this report was in the works and that ARAF was going to have some explaining to do, but no one quite expected it to come up with the high-octane recommendations that they did.</p>
<p>Among other things, Pound calls for Russian athletes and coaches to be suspended from international competition. The report also promises further revelations once criminal investigations in France into alleged corruption by the former president of the IAAF, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/athletics/11984010/IAAF-investigation-Profile-of-Lamine-Diack-former-president-accused-of-bribery.html">Lamine Diack</a>, are completed. This story will clearly not be going away any time soon.</p>
<h2>A long time coming</h2>
<p>The IAAF, the sport’s governing body, has itself got plenty of explaining to do. It has been accused of accepting “cheating at all levels” and of being “<a href="http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/other-sports/doping-scandal-radcliffe-among-british-athletes-to-fear-for-sport-after-finding-that-london-olympics-was-sabotaged-363973.html">inexplicably laissez-faire</a>” in its approach to dealing with what the WADA report regarded as obvious and unmissable warning signals that cheating was taking place.</p>
<p>The report’s main ire was directed at the ARAF and associated bodies but WADA pulled no punches when claiming that the corruption goes far beyond one rogue federation. It’s become so bad that the IAAF is in danger of making scandals in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/05/28/how-fifa-ignored-all-the-essential-steps-to-weed-out-corruption/">world football</a> look like petty misdemeanours.</p>
<p>How did athletics get itself into this state? It is not as if doping allegations are anything new. And athletics has had ample opportunity to up its game. Athletes from a variety of eastern bloc nations have revealed that they <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/8188355.stm">systematically took drugs through the 1980s</a>, while the biggest doping case of them all – involving 100m sprinter <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/that-1980s-sports-blog/2013/oct/21/ben-johnson-carl-lewis-dirtiest-race-history">Ben Johnson</a> – sent shockwaves through not just athletics but the whole of world sport. The evidence was there for the guardians of the sport to find. Yet the IAAF never quite saw fit to look.</p>
<p>Outspoken critics such as the UK’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Radcliffe">Paula Radcliffe</a>, marathon world record holder, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2001/world_athletics/1483621.stm">knew something was deeply wrong</a>, but without the support of the IAAF she knew that her public accusations of cheating would fall on deaf ears. At long last her concerns are being shown for what they really are – the reality of a sport that for far too long has tried to wish away its problems.</p>
<h2>Cleaning up a dirty sport</h2>
<p>Where does the IAAF go from here? The <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-34769384">initial responses</a> of IAAF president, Sebastian Coe, have indicated that he is at least aware of the gravity of the problem. That is one key step in the right direction. There is no point trying to deflect the blame or somehow find a way of arguing that it isn’t as bad as it looks. If the IAAF doesn’t go on record as realising that the situation is terrible, then reform will be impossible.</p>
<p>Coe will also be well aware that if Russia and its athletes go down, then they are very likely to take others with them. We don’t know who else is implicated in this, but if others have transgressed, the Russians won’t take the fall for them.</p>
<p>Successful anti-corruption drives always have a strong leadership dimension to them. In Coe, the IAAF has a leader with a reputation not just for integrity, but for getting things done. While some are <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3311233/Russians-sabotaged-London-2012-Olympics-legend-Coe-reeling-damning-report-reveals-mass-doping-cover-ups.html">questioning Coe’s judgement</a> it appears that he now has a chance to show that he can take control of the situation – and he will need every ounce of the good will that he brings with him to push reforms through. </p>
<p>Without buy-in from prominent stakeholders within the IAAF and the attendant organisations under its jurisdiction, all attempts at reform will fail. Anti-corruption talk is cheap, but actually changing prevailing cultures is very difficult indeed.</p>
<p>The IAAF has to create institutional structures that have transparent processes at their core. There must be clear lines of accountability and rigorous monitoring. Drug-testing centres, in particular, need to be beyond reproach. Coe will know that this will entail the type of root-and-branch reform that national federations are, in the cold light of day, likely to resist.</p>
<p>In many cases genuine reform only takes place when evasion, delusion and plain old incompetence have all run their races. That is exactly where the IAAF is now. </p>
<p>Whether Coe and those around him will be able to rise to the challenge remains to be seen. He used to win athletics titles by patiently following lead runners around the running track and then coolly sprinting past them in the home straight. His running style was thoughtful, elegant and ultimately effective. His record as an administrator has been equally as good. Let’s hope he manages to carry this on and meet one more challenge. The very fate of his sport might well depend on it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/50480/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Hough does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A damning report exposes doping and corruption at every level. And the Russians aren’t likely to take the fall for everyone.Daniel Hough, Professor of Politics, University of SussexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/463652015-08-19T16:36:43Z2015-08-19T16:36:43ZWhy Sebastian Coe must form a truth commission on doping in athletics<p>Sebastian Coe, the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/33983432">newly elected president</a> of the world governing body for athletics, will have little time to reflect on his victory. Although much media comment has focused on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/athletics-doping-crisis-what-does-it-mean-for-the-future-of-the-sport-45630">prevalence of doping in the sport</a>, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is also in relatively poor financial health.</p>
<p>This year’s annual review of IAAF finances shows <a href="http://news.sky.com/story/1537755/coes-many-challenges-as-new-boss-of-athletics">revenues of just US$60m</a>. Contrast that to FIFA which in the four years leading up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil <a href="http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/administration/02/56/80/39/fr2014weben_neutral.pdf">brought in total revenues of US$5,718m</a> Athletics’ major annual event, the largely European-based Diamond League, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/sebastian-coe-five-things-for-lord-coe-to-address-after-iaaf-election-10461634.html">does not have a headline sponsor</a>.</p>
<p>Coe will also face the problem that the sport’s principal asset, which is the global marketing and licensing rights for its World Championship events, have already been <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/news/press-release/iaaf-and-dentsu-extend-and-enhance-partnershi1">signed away in 2014</a> to a Japanese company Dentsu for a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/09/athletics-dentsu-idUSL5N0RA1JN20140909">relatively modest sum</a> of £11m pounds a year until 2019 and £14m pounds annually over the following decade. The longevity and exclusivity of that deal, entered into by Coe’s predecessor <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/about-iaaf/structure/president">Lamine Diack</a> can, at best, be described as naïve.</p>
<h2>Doping shadow</h2>
<p>The IAAF’s annual financial report for 2014/2015 <a href="http://isportconnect.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32812:live-iaaf-congress-and-presidential-election&catid=58:top-news&Itemid=167">was presented</a> just prior to the announcement of Coe’s presidential victory. On stage was <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global/2015/aug/19/sebastian-coe-elected-iaaf-president-after-beating-sergey-bubka-in-vote">Valentin Balakhnichev</a>, the former Russian athletics federation chief, who was <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/valentin-balakhnichev-quits-russian-athletics-chief-fires-parting-shot-over-doping-scandals-10052629.html">supposed to have stepped down in February</a> in the wake of claims of systemic doping by Russia athletes.</p>
<p>Russia was also at the centre of some <a href="http://features.thesundaytimes.co.uk/web/2015/the-doping-scandal/index.html#/">astonishing doping-related claims</a> in recent weeks by the Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD/WDR after they had obtained access to the results of 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 athletes between 2001 and 2012.</p>
<p>The review of the tests suggested that Russia remains “<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/33749208">the blood testing epicentre of the world</a>”. The Sunday Times claims “<a href="http://features.thesundaytimes.co.uk/web/2015/the-doping-scandal/index.html#/">80% of the country’s medals won by suspicious athletes</a>”, while Kenya had 18 medals won by athletes “judged to have had suspicious blood test results”. The tests also appeared to reveal that a third of medals (146, including 55 golds) in endurance events at the Olympics and World Championships between 2001 and 2012 were won by athletes who have recorded “abnormal”.</p>
<p>More recently still, the Sunday Times suggested that the IAAF had <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/33948924">sought to suppress a study</a> suggesting that one-third of athletes surveyed at the 2011 World Champions had engaged in doping practices within the previous 12 months.</p>
<p>The IAAF has countered that the Sunday Times’ claims are <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/news/press-release/statement-response-ard-sunday-times-anti-dopi">sensationalist</a> and the the <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/news/press-release/doping-prevalence-study-daegu-2011">methodology</a> used in the 2011 survey was questionable. The federation has been forced to admit that 28 athletes who competed at the 2005 and 2007 World Championships have returned “<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/33867962">adverse findings</a>” from retested samples.</p>
<h2>Generational change</h2>
<p>The corrosive nature of these doping claims present huge difficulties for Coe. Similar to the difficulties posed for <a href="https://theconversation.com/tour-de-frances-doping-history-clouds-a-cleaner-sport-28070">professional cycling</a>, the sport has to prove a negative – that its participants are not doping nor are the many guilty by association to the few.</p>
<p>Coe’s <a href="http://sebcoe2015.org/#manifesto">manifesto</a> presented a typically “governance”-related solution: promoting the establishment of an independent anti-doping unit within the IAAF; greater cooperation with the World Anti-Doping Agency; more targeted out-of-competition testing of athletes and greater emphasis on the education of younger athletes.</p>
<p>But it is these younger athletes who Coe will struggle to convince. Recent events seem to suggest that doping can no longer be dismissed summarily as being a deviant behaviour. This has a demoralising impact on those who might be attracted to the sport as elite participants and also as elite sponsors.</p>
<h2>Time for truth</h2>
<p>Coe was a two-time Olympic Champion, winning the 1,500 meters at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics. In 1980 he had been the warm favourite for the 800 meters but, having run what he subsequently described as the worst tactical race of his life, he finished second. In the days that followed, Coe took severe criticism from the British media and more personally still from his coach, who happened to be his father. Coe reflected on his mistakes, learned from them and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/apr/18/50-olympic-moments-coe-ovett-moscow-1980">ran brilliantly four days later</a> to win the 1,500 meters gold.</p>
<p>In some way he must now do the same. Coe might think of establishing a truth commission on the doping ethos in athletics. Such a commission might have to be underpinned by amnesties – where unpalatable truths about athletics would be told by unpalatable people for what many would perceive as unpalatable forgiveness. Nevertheless, a greater sporting good would be served by a truth commission. </p>
<p>There is no doubt that doping is corroding the sporting credibility and financial viability of world athletics. As George Orwell said, in a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. Will Seb Coe be revolutionary?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/46365/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jack Anderson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Coe must put an end to a dark era of athletics.Jack Anderson, Professor of Sports Law, Queen's University BelfastLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.