WADA welcomes appeal decision in corruption case

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) welcomes yesterday’s decision by the Paris Court of Appeal in France, upholding convictions against Papa Massata Diack, the former marketing consultant of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF, today World Athletics), and Habib Cissé, former legal advisor to the IAAF President, on charges of corruption linked to the Russian doping scandal.

Based in part on information provided by WADA, Mr. Diack and his late father, former IAAF President Lamine Diack had been found to have accepted bribes in order to cover up doping cases of Russian athletes so they would be free to compete at major athletics events, including the Olympic Games and IAAF World Championships. A number of other defendants, including Mr. Cissé, had also been found guilty of a range of related offences. As part of the original ruling, WADA, which was an interested party to this case, was awarded more than EUR 200,000 in costs and damages.

WADA President Witold Bańka said: “WADA welcomes this decision, which is a victory for clean sport. It finally brings to an end a long-running case that started on the basis of information shared by WADA with the French authorities, who opened a criminal investigation in 2015. This case shows the importance of WADA’s collaboration with law enforcement agencies around the world as we seek to ensure that those who engage in corruption or try to cheat the system face the appropriate sanctions.”