Athletics Integrity Unit Flexes Power, Suspends Fredericks

(ATR) Namibia’s sole Olympic medalist, Frank Fredericks, is left without any sports administration positions following his provisional suspension by the newly founded Athletics Integrity Unit.

The International Association of Athletics Federations' new ethics unit sought the provisional suspension of Fredericks while it investigates his involvement in alleged vote-buying for the Rio 2016 Olympics. The IAAF disciplinary tribunal accepted the suspension application by the AIU on July 17.

The only IOC member from Namibia, Fredericks is alleged to have received compensation from a company owned by the son of former IAAF president Lamine Diack around the date of the 2016 host city election of Rio de Janeiro.

Fredericks contends the payment received was for consultancy work he performed that was unrelated to the host city election.

In March, Fredericks voluntarily stepped down from several administrative roles within the IOC and IAAF, including chairman of the 2024 Olympic and 2018 Youth Olympic Evaluation Commissions as well as the IAAF Russia Task Force. His role as an IAAF Council member was the only he retained over the past three months prior to the AIU announcement of his suspension.

Despite his removal from several roles, the IOC and IAAF maintain that Fredericks retains the presumption of innocence while the investigations by the French authorities, IOC Ethics Commission and IAAF Ethics Commission are underway.

Fredericks tells the AIU that he will contest his latest provisional suspension before the IAAF disciplinary tribunal.

The IOC did not return a request for comment regarding how the latest suspension could affect its own investigation into Fredericks.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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