Former top officials get life bans for doping blackmail (Reuters)

By Mitch Phillips LONDON (Reuters) – Two top Russian athletics officials and the son of former world governing body President Lamine Diack were banned from the sport for life on Thursday for covering up an elite Russian athlete’s positive dope test and blackmailing her over it. The bans follow last year’s World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) independent commission report that found a state-sponsored culture of doping in Russia and prompted the country’s suspension from the sport. The report shook world athletics and raised doubts over Russia’s participation in this year’s Olympics Games.