IAAF Chief To Step Aside

The International Association of Athletics Federations Nick Davies has announced he will step aside from his role as the director of the IAAF's president's office while an ethics board investigates allegations of unethical behaviour against him.

An email that was sent by Davies was obtained by French newspaper Le Monde containing evidence that  the IAAF's former director of communications and now right-hand man to President Lord Coe,  appears to seek to delay the identification of Russian drug cheats in the run-up to the 2013 World Championships in Moscow. In the email that was sent to Papa Massata Diack, Davies appears to look to minimise the impact of naming Russian athletics who have failed drug tests.

Davies has denied any wrongdoing and said in a statement “In order to demonstrate that I am willing to have all allegations of unethical behaviour on my part in 2013 properly and fairly investigated I have referred my emails to Papa Massata Diack in 2013, my statements and the circumstances of the emails to the IAAF Ethics Board. I have decided to step aside from my role with the IAAF until such time as the Ethics Board is able to review the matter properly and decide if I am responsible for any breach of the IAAF Code of Ethics”