IAAF welcomes CAS ruling on tainted officials

London, August 23: The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has welcomed the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) ruling to dismiss the appeals from Papa Massata Diack, Valentin Balakhnichev and Alexei Melnikov against life bans imposed on them from the sport for an alleged doping cover-up.

It may be recalled that on Tuesday (August 22), the announced the trio will remain "banned for life from any involvement in the sport of athletics."

CAS dismisses Diack's appeal against life ban

The apex sports court also added that the full findings of its panel's findings on the appeals from Diack, Balakhnichev and Melnikov will be published as soon as possible.

After being found to have breached the governing body's code of ethics, former IAAF marketing consultant Diack was banned for life in January, 2016.

The son of ex-IAAF president Lamine Diack, he was charged after disciplinary hearings over his alleged involvement in a cover-up relating to 2010 London Marathon winner Liliya Shobukhova.

Former IAAF treasurer Balakhnichev, the ex-president of the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF), and Melnikov, the former top ARAF coach for long-distance walkers and runners, appealed against the decision along with Diack.

Welcoming the CAS decision, IAAF President Lord Sebastian Coe in a statement said, "I'd like to thank CAS for their hard work and diligence in assessing and upholding the IAAF Ethics Board's decision. The ruling sends a clear message that anyone who attempts to corrupt our sport will be brought to justice."