Lord Coe facing fresh questions over corruption allegations
Lord Coe is facing fresh questions over when he became aware of allegations of corruption within athletics governing body the IAAF after new e-mails showed him referring to the claims four months before they were made public.
In December 2015, Coe, who was elected IAAF president four months earlier, advised the Culture, Media and Sport select committee that he was unaware of specific allegations surrounding the Russian doping scandal.
He said the first time he heard of Russian athlete Liliya Shobukhova being blackmailed by senior IAAF officials was when they were broadcast by German channel ARD in December 2014.
But in e-mails dated August 2014, which were unearthed by the BBC and published by the Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday, Coe wrote to Michael Beloff, the head of the IAAF ethics committee: “I have in the last couple of days received copied documentation of serious allegations being made by and on behalf of the Russian female athlete Shobukhova from David Bedford.
“The purpose of this note is of course to advise you that I have now been made aware of the allegations.”
Select Committee chairman Damian Collins MP said; “Whatever excuse he gives, it is clear that Lord Coe decided not to share with the committee information that was relevant to our inquiry on doping in sport.”