The Russian athletic officials and a few track and field competitors have been caught doping. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. The Russians got away with it for a long time by bribing the top international track and field officials who knew they were cheating. The head of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), a previously admired man and a UK sporting hero, knew nothing about this during three years in charge. Those involved with doping must be banned for life, but this dirty business goes much further, and has many more victims.
The public part of this scandal began almost two weeks ago. French prosecutors arrested and charged the former IAAF president, Lamine Diack, with money laundering and corruption. His son and a French lawyer for the group, both of whom had worked in the anti-doping section, also were charged. Sources said the men had demanded one million euros (38.6 million baht) to change reports that showed and proved Russian athletes used illegal drugs. Last week, a 300-plus page report on the issue was released by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) -- yet another group that had failed to do its job.
The IAAF head is Sebastian Coe, one of the few highly successful UK track and field athletes of the late 20th century. He succeeded Mr Diack at the head of the federation last August, after serving as Mr Diack's deputy for seven years. Of course, Lord Coe was shocked, shocked to hear that Russians had doped, and had escaped detection by allegedly bribing his boss. He knew of this neither when he was No.2 at the federation or since he became its chief. Only two reasons immediately suggest themselves for this state of affairs: incompetence or involvement.
Lord Coe has called for strong steps, tough approaches and no-nonsense measures. But we have heard this for quite a long time. Doping, cheating and bribery in international and Olympic sports was a huge problem when Wada was formed in 1999 to deal with the problem. Lord Coe's solution to carry on normally while conducting investigations seems a little out of date, to understate the case.
One of his first steps last week was to back a proposal to ban the entire Russian athletics federation from international competition. While it serves to focus attention on the immediate malefactor -- Russian officials have tacitly admitted some cheating -- it is implicitly unfair and should be unacceptable. It ignores cheating athletes and officials from other countries. It punishes outstanding Russian athletes who compete honestly. And it completely misses virtually every mark at the root of this problem.
Modest estimates by athletes, medical and training specialists, sports journalists and others conclude about 10% to 20% of top athletes in affected sports take banned substances. Lab tests over the past 2 years, during Wada's existence, have indicted less than 3%. Wada, Lord Coe and others are responsible.
If they refuse to face the music, the harm continues. Honest athletes are punished for following the rules. Sports fans can trust no outcome. Big-business sponsors, as in Fifa-run football, are complicit in criminal activity. Watchdogs appear pathetically helpless.
Lord Coe has a short period to recover, by calling in better enforcement bodies to police his sport and the coming Olympic Games. This will take outside experts with credible credentials. Anything less will turn the Rio Olympics into a laughing-stock of charges, ruining the Games for the world.