Athletics
IAAF BAN FOR LIFE, LAWYER OF IT’S FORMER BOSS, LAMINE DIACK
BY LIAM MORGAN
Habib Cissé, the former legal advisor to Lamine Diack and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), has been banned for life for alleged corruption offences.
Cissé, who is among the officials who are set to stand trial in France for alleged corruption and money laundering, has also been fined $25,000 (£20,200/€22,600) by the IAAF Ethics Board.
In a statement, the Ethics Board said Cissé had been found guilty of ethics breaches in relation to the “management of positive analytic results for prohibited substances in samples provided for the purposes of anti-doping controls by Liliya Shobukhova and other Russian athletes”.
The Ethics Board added it had decided not to release the full reasoning behind the decision owing to the ongoing criminal investigation in France, which centres on former IAAF officials including Lamine Diack.
Cissé is the latest official to be handed a lifetime ban from the sport in connection to payments totalling approximately £435,000 ($538,000/€486,000) made by Russia’s Shobukhova, the 2010 London Marathon winner and a three-time Chicago Marathon champion, in order to cover up doping violations.
Papa Massata Diack, the consultant and son of disgraced former IAAF President Lamine, former IAAF treasurer and ex-All-Russia Athletic Federation President Valentin Balakhnichev and long distance running and race-walking coach Alexei Melnikov were banned for life in 2016.
Former IAAF anti-doping director Gabriel Dollé was suspended for five years.
France’s financial prosecutor recommended Lamine Diack, Papa Massata Diack, Cissé and Dollé all stand trial for alleged corruption and money laundering in May.
Investigating magistrate Renaud Van Ruymbeke has three months to decide whether the case should go to trial.
The French probe began in November 2015 when Lamine Diack, IAAF President from 1999 to 2015, was placed under formal investigation on suspicion of corruption and money laundering.
He is accused, along with son Papa Massata, of receiving bribes to cover up doping violations by Russian athletes.
Cissé, who was put under formal investigation in France at the same time as Lamine Diack, was placed in custody in October 2016 before a French court ordered his release.
The lawyer is thought to have played a key role in the scandal, including the cover-up of doping violations by Russian athletes.
Cissé was placed in charge of Russian athlete biological passport cases by Diack and was accused of being inserted into a role within the IAAF anti-doping department by the former President to corrupt the system by a World Anti-Doping Agency Independent Commission, led by Canadian Richard Pound.
The Senegalese official served as legal adviser to the IAAF and Diack, who has been under house arrest in Paris since being arrested in November 2015, from 2003 to 2014.
-insidethegames
Athletics
James, Shambaz win Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10m Race
BY DAPO SOTUMINU
Nigeria’s Francis James and Blessing Shambaz yesterday emerged winners of the 2nd Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Race to go home with the winners prize money of $1,000 in a race that was officially flagged off by the First vice president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Chief Solomon Ogba, and supported by Mr. Nadin Khan, the president of the World Ultra Running.
James won the men’s race finishing at 30minutes 11seconds to beat all opponents to consolidate on his victory in Abuja when he finished second best in the half marathon held in the Federal Capital Territory middle of the year.
James also emerged the Nigeria’s winner of the World class half marathon.
It will be recalled that James at his last major race in Abuja finished second place in a national half marathon race. He stressed that he used that race to prepare for the Lotus Bank Abeokuta Race and he was very happy winning the race.
He stressed that, the victory at Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10m Race has given him the confidence to do better in others races coming up in Nigeria and its an indication, that he’s very close to making history for Nigeria in subsequent marathon races. He added that, Nigerian runners will pull surprise in the others races not minding the attendance of the East Africans.
In second place for the men’s race is Gyang Raymond at a time of 30 minutes 14 seconds. Gyang got $750 for his effort. While the third place winner is Gyang David Boyi at 30 minutes 54 seconds. Boyi got a cash prize of $500.
In the women 10km race, the runners up that placed second was Daylop Patience at a time of 36minutes 98.28seconds to keep her position in last year’s edition. She got $750.
Third place winner is Agofure Charity at 37minutes 88 seconds.She got $500.
The overall 10km also saw the race by special athletes.
The route of the Lotus Bank Abeokuta Race wore a very active look this morning with the active presence of Febbs table water, a part sponsor of the event.
The volunteers on each points on the route all had Febbs Water on their hands ready to hand them over the runners. The organisers decorated all the runners that crossed the finish line with gold medals, this added to the fanfare and celebrations at the Alake Palace finish line of the race.
Athletics
Diamond League raise 2025 prize money to over $9 million
The Diamond League will increase its prize money to more than $9 million in 2025, the highest in the history of the series, the organisers have said.
Athletes will make a total of $18 million, with top athletes also receiving promotional fees. Male and female athletes will be paid at the same rate, the Diamond League said in a statement.
“The new total is almost a third higher than the sum paid during the pandemic-affected period of 2021-2024,” the statement said, adding that more will be invested in the athletes’ travel, transport, accommodation, medical and physio services.
Each of the 14 Diamond League meets of the 2025 regular season, scheduled to kick off in April, will award a total prize money of $500,000, with the final in August offering $2.24 million.
“The total prize money per discipline will be between $30,000 and $50,000 at the series meetings and between $60,000 and $100,000 at the final,” the statement added.
The Diamond League’s 2024 season concluded in Brussels last week, with Zurich set to host the 2025 final.
The news comes after World Athletics ended a 128-year tradition by paying Olympic champions at the Paris Games $50,000 each and as rival track events try to muscle in on the circuit long seen as the standard-bearer for professional athletics.
Retired American sprinting great Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track will offer prize money ranging from $100,000 for the winner to $10,000 for the eighth-place finisher at each of four “slams” when the league launches next year.
It will distribute a total of $12.6 million in prize money in 2025.
“In a league of our own,” Grand Slam Track wrote in a post on X, opens new tab on Wednesday, with a breakdown of their prize money.
-Reuters
Athletics
Record 6000 runners register for 2nd Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Run
A record 6,000 runners, local and international from across the African continent and Nigeria have registered for the second edition of the Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Run slated for September 28, 2024, as the organisers, Nilayo Sports Management Limited guns for a bronze label status for the race.
The Chief Operating Officer of Nilayo Sports Management Limited, Ebidowie Oweifie, noted that the theme of this year’s edition of the Abeokuta 10km Race titled ‘For Greatness’ out is out to commemorate the birthday anniversary of the Egba paramount ruler, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo 111, the 10km Run will flag off at Iyana Oloke at 6am and finish at The Alake Palace, Abeokuta.
Kenya’s Peter Nwaniki is the men’s race defending champion at a time of 28 minutes 14 seconds, while Shamila Kipsirir also of Kenya is the women’s defending champion.
Nigeria’s race men’s defending champion is Francis James at 31minutes 08seconds, while the women’s defending champion is Patience Daylop at 36 minutes 31 seconds.
The second edition of Abeokuta10km Race will be sponsored by Lotus Bank, FEBBS Premium Water, Fatgbems Petroleum Limited and Cash Token.
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