(ATR) IAAF deputy general secretary Nick Davies is stepping aside and submitting himself to the IAAF Ethics Commission to be investigated for any connection to the Russian doping scandal.
"I have decided to step aside from my role with the IAAF until such time as the Ethics Board is able to review the matter properly and decide if I am responsible for any breach of the IAAF Code of Ethics," Davies said in a statement released Tuesday.
The ethics investigation will determine whether a series of leaked emails from Davies to Papa Massata Diack – former IAAF president Lamine Diack’s son – violate the IAAF ethics code.
In the emails, Davies said the federation needed "to be smart" about releasing the names of the athletes and that the "Russian skeletons in the cupboard" needed to be discussed.
He suggested waiting to release the names of Russian athletes with doping violations until after the 2013 world championships in Russia. The emails were sent just 22 days prior to the championships.
In an apparent effort to mitigate the impact of the email leak, Davies’ lawyers sent a cautionary letter to several news agencies including Around the Rings on Monday. The letter warned of defamation lawsuits for inaccurate representations of the situation.
German documentary maker Hajo Seppelt published the letter on Twitter, drawing more attention to the emails. Seppelt was instrumental in exposing the Russian doping scandal in a 2014 documentary that led to formation of the World Anti Doping Agency independent commission led by Richard Pound.
Davies said that despite his efforts to "manage and promote the reputation of the IAAF", he is only making matters worse.
"What has become apparent is that I have become the story."
According to the release, Davies sent the emails in question, his statements and the circumstances surrounding the emails to the IAAF ethics panel in order to demonstrate his willingness to cooperate with a proper and fair investigation.
Davies says he has voluntarily offered full assistance to the investigations of the French police, the ethics board and WADA -- and will continue to do so.
Written by KevinNutley
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