LIMA, September 11, 2017 – The InternationalOlympic Committee has issued a statement confirming that Senegal’s Lamine Diackmay have been directly involved in buying votes for the host allocation of theOlympic Games.
"The IOC Executive Board reaffirmed todaythat it goes without saying that infringements from the past will also beaddressed,” the IOC stated.
“With regard to the investigation aroundthe former IAAF President, Lamine Diack, and his son, Papa Massata Diack, theFrench prosecutor has stated that there are indications that payments have beenmade in return for votes over the designation of host cities for the biggest globalsporting events."
An joint investigation betweenFrench and Brazilian authorities is looking into suspicious payments linked tothe IOC’s award of the 2016 Olympics to Rio.
According to authorities, shortly beforethe Olympics vote in Copenhagen in sums were passed from Miami-basedbusinessman Arthur Cesar de Menezes Soares Filho known as ‘King Arthur’to PapaMassata Diack – son of Lamine and then an IAAF marketing consultant – andformer track and field star and IOC member Frankie Fredericks. Papa MassataDiack allegedly received $1.5m and Fredericks $300,000 dollars.
Diack was a voting member of the IOC whenRio 2016 secured the hosting rights at the IOC Session in Copenhagen in 2009.
On September 5, ahead of the IOC Session inLima, President of the Brazilian Federation Carlos Nuzman taken into custody by localpolice under suspicion of being directly involved in the rigging of votes in order to bring the Games to Rio. The 75-year-old Brazilian is thought to have been the connection betweenSoares and Lamine Diack leading up to the vote at the IOC Session inCopenhagen.
“The IOC Ethics Commission has alsorequested its Brazilian lawyers to make contact the Brazilian judicialauthorities with regard to their latest corruption investigation into the 2009vote for the allocation of the Olympic Games 2016, to ask for information,” thestatement concluded.
The full IOC statement is below:
TheInternational Olympic Committee (IOC) is fully committed to protecting theintegrity of sport. Credibility is one of the three pillars of Olympic Agenda2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement. As part ofthis reform programme, a new good governance system of the IOC has beenintroduced. It is strong and comprehensive also with regard to the election ofhost cities for the Olympic Games. Like any other organisation, the IOC willnot be immune to any infringements, but we have significantly strengthened theprevention and the sanctioning system.
TheIOC Executive Board reaffirmed today that it goes without saying thatinfringements from the past will also be addressed. With regard to theinvestigation around the former IAAF President, Mr Lamine Diack, and his son,Mr Papa Massata Diack, the French prosecutor has stated that there areindications that payments have been made in return for votes “over thedesignation of host cities for the biggest global sporting events”. In thiscontext, as far as votes for host cities of Olympic Games in the past areconcerned, the IOC took immediate action. The IOC joined the inquiry as a“partie civile” more than one year ago. Right after evidence was producedagainst Mr Lamine Diack, he lost his IOC honorary membership in November 2015,following actions by the IOC.
TheIOC Ethics Commission has also requested its Brazilian lawyers to make contactthe Brazilian judicial authorities with regard to their latest corruptioninvestigation into the 2009 vote for the allocation of the Olympic Games 2016,to ask for information.
TheIOC Ethics Commission is following up on this matter. Where evidence isprovided, we will act.
Lima,11 September 2017
