"It was mainly for the financial health of the IAAF," Diack said. "The financial health of the IAAF had to be safeguarded and I was prepared to make that compromise." Diack, an 87-year-old Senegalese, has admitted that bans were delayed in order to allow the Russian athletes concerned to compete in the 2012 London Olympics and the World Athletics Championships in Moscow the following year. AdvertisementThe aim was to prevent the cases derailing talks with prospective Russian sponsors including state-owned bank VTB and the RTR broadcaster. Prosecutors say Diack, who was IAAF president from 1999 to 2015, directly or indirectly demanded Sh390 million ($3.9 million) from Russian athletes in order to have their names cleared.

Source: Daily Nation June 11, 2020 12:00 UTC