Stop toying with my destiny, Diack urges IAAF

Papa Massata Diack, the Marketing Consultant under investigation by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Ethics Commission has appealed to the body to speed up the investigation over the allegations of wrongdoing contained in a report by one of the leading newspapers in the United Kingdom (UK).
The newspaper, in a report, which Diack vehemently denies, contained insinuations that Diack, who was one of the marketing consultants to the IAAF, collected money running into millions to influence the choice of Qatar as hosts of a World Athletics championships.
Interestingly, Qatar did not win that bid.
“These unproven allegations constitute grave dangers to my integrity as a person involved in raising funds to support the growth and development of sports worldwide’’.
In a letter to the Commission, Diack complained that the snail-speed pace of the investigation, which commenced 14 months ago, had been dragging on embarrassingly for too long.
He said because of the incalculable damage the report posed to my person and my organisation, “I have temporarily stepped down from my job in order to devote time and attention to the independent investigation set up by the IAAF in order to clear my name.
“I have cooperated with the commission in order to clear this smear campaign. I would like to thank each of you, for your most appreciated support, while I was confronted with media allegations that l absolutely refute.
“As a marketing consultant to the IAAF, I have spent many years contributing to the development of athletics, and I was really concerned about the impact that such allegations can have on the sport.
“I consequently took the decision to stand down, in order to let the IAAF independent ethics Commission to carry out its investigation. I remain confident that the facts would prove my innocence.
“As an African, upon entering a sports business, I saw things from a different perspective. Having spotted the growing sporting interest in emerging markets, I concluded partnerships in the regions that had contributed to the expansion of sports, including tennis, football and athletics”.
He noted that at the turn of the century, his forecast that the interest from emerging markets would bring to athletics much-needed commercial revenues that would help” to sustain the growth of the sport, proved positive.
“It was this my vision that I submitted to the IAAF Marketing Commission during the IAAF World Junior Championships in Beijing 2006 and I was given the authority to conclude commercial partnerships, in such territories,’’ he noted.