Russian official may have to withdraw

IAAF president Lamine Diack has raised the prospect of Russia’s athletics chief withdrawing from his duties until an investigation into allegations of systematic doping and cover-ups is concluded.

It follows a German TV expose claiming doping in Russia was rife and that Russian federation chief Valentin Balakhnichev, who is also the IAAF’s treasurer, was implicated in a cover-up.

Balakhnichev has called the claims “a pack of lies” but the IAAF’s ethics committee is investigating the allegations.