Mutko sees no convincing reasons to suspend former head of Russian Athletics Federation Balakhnichev for life
MOSCOW. Jan 12 (Interfax) - Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said that a recommendation given by the International Athletics Federation (IAAF) ethics committee to suspend former head of the Russian Athletic Federation Valentin Balakhnichev for life is not based on real facts which prove the former sports official to be guilty.
"This is a decision of the very organization and its ethics committee, that is why it is extremely difficult to give any assessments. I have already said that many accusations against him should have some evidential base. Those materials which I have seen do not contain any proving facts. If they [the ethics committee] had made a decision that the Russian Athletics Federation had had a number of disqualified athletes for so many years or some other facts for which the president is responsible, this would have been more honest and more correct, but it is difficult for me to speak about what has not been proved, as there are no facts," Mutko told Interfax on Tuesday.
Balakhnichev's dismissal from the post of Russian Athletic Federation chief took place amid a resounding doping scandal in Russian track-and-field athletics. This resulted in the International Athletics Association's decision to suspend from competitions under the IAAF aegis all Russian athletes as well as disqualify the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.
In summer 2015 the IAAF ethics committee recommended disciplinary cases be opened against Balakhnichev and former senior coach of the Russian national track-and-field athletic team in the endurance group Alexei Melnikov. This also concerned the former IAAF president's son Papa Massata Diack, and former IAAF anti-doping director Gabriel Dolle.
Former IAAF president Lamine Diack was charged with corruption. He was suspected of taking a bribe from the Russian Athletic Federation seeking to conceal violations of anti-doping legislation by Russian athletes.
On January 7, the IAAF ethics committee recommended Balakhnichev be suspended for life.
