Germany’s former athletics federation chief Helmut Digel says there have been only “small successes” in the national and international fight against doping in the sport.
In an interview with dpa, Digel, said that “summing it up today one has to say that the anti-doping fight, as organised by the IAAF (international athletics federation) until now, has failed.”
Digel, 71, is a former IAAF vice-president who until August was a member of the IAAF council. He was president of the German federation from 1993 to 2001.
In the doping affairs which have engulfed athletics this year, French authorities have begun a criminal investigation against former IAAF president Lamine Diack on suspicion that he took money to cover up positive doping tests.
The Russian federation was provisionally suspended by the IAAF on November 13 in the wake of a report from a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) commission which spoke of systematic doping and cover-ups of positive doping tests in the country.
The nation’s anti-doping agency RUSADA was also suspended.
Digel said “everyone knows that other nations are in the pillory.” There was “a big doping problem in Turkish athletics,” and also “doping problems in Ukraine and Belarus.” In addition, “Kenya is an old problem and needs a systematic investigation at last.”
On the investigation into Diack, Digel said he knew of no one on the IAAF council who was aware of fraud involving federation staff.
It was “still unimaginable” that Diack was involved, and legal proceedings were necessary to establish his guilt, he said.
Diack’s successor, Sebastian Coe, has also come in for criticism over his initial response to doping revelations.
Digel said it was “a mistake” by the former Olympic champion to say doping allegations were a “declaration of war” on athletics.
He was also surprised with Coe’s stance against an anti-doping law, but in general Coe is trying to make changes which were needed in the sport, Digel said.
“He has made right and important recommendations. But now Coe has to demonstrate that he will really effect the changes. So far too little has happened,” he said.