German reporter slams Sebastian Coe over athletics 'war' comments

Berlin: The German reporter who sparked a doping storm engulfing athletics hit back on Thursday at accusations from Britain`s Sebastian Coe, who is bidding for the sport`s leadership, that his report was "a declaration of war" on athletics.

Hajo Seppelt, of German network ARD, teamed up with Britain`s Sunday Times newspaper to produce a damning report accusing the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) of failing to investigate hundreds of what they called "suspicious" drug tests between 2001 and 2012.

The report raised new questions about the sport just weeks before the Aug. 22-30 world championships in Beijing and Coe, who is seeking to become the IAAF`s new president, responded with an impassioned defence of athletics, attacking "the betrayal of the last few days of our sport".

Seppelt hit back at the double Olympic 1500 metres champion Coe, who hopes to succeed long-serving IAAF president Lamine Diack in August.

"This smells like a cheap election manoeuvre to align the voters at the IAAF Congress behind him," the German reporter told Reuters. "The man is apparently no different to many other sport officials.

"Is Mr Coe in a position to make better evaluations than the world`s leading blood doping scientists?"

A spokesman for Coe referred Reuters to his column in Thursday`s Daily Telegraph in which he wrote:

"In less than two weeks I will be standing for the IAAF presidency but let me be clear that this is not electioneering. Whether there is an election or not, I will always come to the defence of my sport when it is being treated unfairly.

"The very fact that I am standing for the presidency is because I have been in the sport for 45 years and I know that the vast majority of people in the sport have an absolutely non-negotiable stance on drug abuse.

"For us to be portrayed as a sport that plays fast and loose with these ethics is just wrong."

Seppelt said that since March this year, ARD had asked Coe several times for interviews for his documentary but added that the chief organiser of the 2012 London Olympics had not taken up the opportunity.

"When I personally spoke to Coe on one occasion, he hung up and rejected any conversation," Seppelt added.

Sergey Bubka, the 1988 Olympic pole vault champion who is going head-to-head with Coe to become IAAF president, has said the sport should be more transparent.