(Photo:Lamine Diack, 86, faces a charge of corruption at the trial in Paris, which starts on Monday) Lamine Diack, 86, faces a charge of corruption at the trial in Paris, which starts on MondayA criminal trial which could ultimately expose alleged corruption surrounding the awarding of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 2022 Qatar World Cup, doping cover-ups in Russia and Russian attempts to influence foreign elections will start in Paris on Monday with some huge and respected names on the International Olympic Committee sweating to see if they are named in court.
Lamine Diack, who preceded Lord Coe as president of the IAAF and was once described by Coe as the ‘spiritual leader of our sport’, faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in a French prison as he goes on trial.
Though this initial phase will deal with an alleged cover-up of Russian positive doping tests in 2012 by Diack, later this year more complex allegations will be aired about payments made to companies connected to him allegedly to secure the Olympics for Toyko and the 2019 World Athletics Championships for Doha. The award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar may even be involved.