I knew nothing about corruption in athletics, insists Sebastian Coe

A defiant world athletics president Sebastian Coe said on Wednesday that he had had no inkling of corruption within his organisation and defended his links with American sportswear giant Nike.

Lamine Diack, Coe’s predecessor as International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president, is being investigated by French authorities over claims he took bribes to cover up doping offences.

The World Anti-doping Agency (Wada) is also preparing a report on allegations of corruption within the IAAF, where Coe was vice-president for eight years prior to his appointment as president in August.

But when asked by the British parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport committee if he had heard any “whispers” about corruption within the organisation, Coe replied flatly: “No.”

Coe, 59, had previously described Diack as the sport’s “spiritual leader” and said that he reacted with “shock, sorrow and anger” when he learnt of his arrest.

But he said he had not asked Diack about corruption allegations levelled at his son, Pape Diack, who stepped down from his position as an IAAF marketing consultant a year ago.