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Listen: Paula Radcliffe Accuses Ewan MacKenna Of Being 'Obtuse' Over Seb Coe's Position At IAAF

Gavin Cooney
By Gavin Cooney
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The World Anti-Doping Agency today published their second commission on the doping cover-ups at the IAAF.

The initial report revealed a systematic, state-sponsored doping culture in Russia, and revealed that the IAAF had attempted to cover it up.

It led to the suspension of four IAAF figures: President Lamine Diack's son Papa Massanta Diack, Ex-IAAF Anti-Doping Director, former Gabriel Dallé, former Russian federation president Valentin Balakhnichev and the former coach of long-distance athletes in Russia Alexi Melnikov. Russia have been barred from participation in athletics, and may be suspended from the Rio Olympics.

The second report by Dick Pound found that the doping cover-ups were not solely the actions of these miscreants, and believes that there was a culture of corruption embedded in the IAAF council, and the body were in consistent denial about the scandal.

Sebastian Coe is now the president of the IAAF, having served on the council since 2003 and has been an elected official and Vice President for eight years.

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Coe was grilled on his involvment in the council by Channel 4's Jon Snow after the first report was posted, accusing him of either being "asleep on the job, or corrupt":

Despite this, Dick Pound today endorsed Seb Coe's further presidency of the IAAF.

Former British marathon runner Paula Radcliffe, Ex-British sprinter Darren Campbell and Irish journalist Ewan MacKenna on BBC Radio 5 Live to debate Coe's position tonight. MacKenna commented on Pound's "bizarre" endorsement of Coe, and questioned where Coe's "intelligence and wherewithal to deal with the issue" was.

Radcliffe believes the personal attacks against Coe are over the top, saying that "if he let his dog out we’d have been calling the RSPCA on him" and accused MacKenna of being "obtuse" regarding the relationship between Pound and Coe.

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Listen to the debate below.

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