Former Russian athletics chief Balakhnichev says IAAF ban is “politicised” – R-Sport (Reuters)
The former head of Russian athletics, Valentin Balakhnichev, said on Thursday that a decision by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to ban him for life was politicised, Russia’s R-Sport agency reported. Balakhnichev also said that he intended to appeal against the decision. In an announcement on Thursday, the IAAF Ethics Commission also banned Russia’s former head coach Aleksey Melnikov and Papa Massata Diack, the son of the former IAAF president Lamine Diack.