0:00:07 > 0:00:09Tonight - the biggest scandal in world sport.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12We just used to refer to them as "the cheating Russians".
0:00:12 > 0:00:17And the former Olympic champion we're told we can trust to fix it.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21There's an enormous amount of reputational recovery
0:00:21 > 0:00:24that has to occur here, and I can't think of anyone better
0:00:24 > 0:00:27than Lord Coe to lead that.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30But Lord Coe's presidency of world athletics has been
0:00:30 > 0:00:31beset with questions.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34I was certainly not aware of the specific allegations that
0:00:34 > 0:00:39have been made around the corruption of anti-doping processes.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Was that right?
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Panorama investigates what Lord Coe knew, and when.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Did you mislead parliament?
0:00:47 > 0:00:50These involved serious criminal matters.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52The right thing to do would be to put that information
0:00:52 > 0:00:56into the hands of the criminal authorities straight away.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58And we uncover Lord Coe's links to the man at the centre
0:00:58 > 0:01:01of the corruption scandal.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04If he not the blessing of Lamine Diack, or my support,
0:01:04 > 0:01:06he would never have been elected as president.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08He knows that.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12We ask - is Lord Coe the man to clean up world athletics?
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Great Britain delivers!
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Olympic champions.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32London 2012, almost everybody agreed these were the most successful games
0:01:32 > 0:01:35ever, on and off the track.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Behind me the athletics stadium, the scene of Super Saturday,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43one of Britain's greatest days ever at the Olympics.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46The country was on a high.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Lord Coe, the man who brought the games to London, was a hero.
0:01:50 > 0:01:57A double Olympic gold medal winner himself, he led the bid to host
0:01:57 > 0:01:59the Games in London.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02The Games of the 30th Olympiad in 2012 are awarded to the City
0:02:02 > 0:02:03of London.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06CHEERING.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10# What have you done today to make you feel proud #.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16By the time the games opened, he had been vice president of the IAAF -
0:02:16 > 0:02:20athletics' world governing body - for five years.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Seb was flawless, actually, in how he delivered the games.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29He was a great leader, he was a great speaker,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31he looks good, he's got the double Olympic champion,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34he's got the brand to match the aspiration.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Sebastian Coe.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43For the athletes gathered here on the eve of this great endeavour,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46I say that to you is given something precious and irreplaceable -
0:02:46 > 0:02:50to run faster, to jump higher, to be stronger.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Thank you for making all this possible.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57We were promised the cleanest Olympics ever.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01We now know that's not what we got.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Russian long distance champion Liliya Shobukhova
0:03:04 > 0:03:07was in London to race.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09British athletes had suspected her of
0:03:09 > 0:03:11doping for some time.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16We just used to refer to them as "the cheating Russians".
0:03:16 > 0:03:19That's what's frustrating, because if us, as distance runners
0:03:19 > 0:03:22in the British team, could see that, surely people who were in authority
0:03:22 > 0:03:25would also be able to see that.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29This was Shobukhova racing against Jo Pavey in the 2006
0:03:29 > 0:03:32European Championships.
0:03:33 > 0:03:39I'm there in front of them, hoping I could run the sting out
0:03:39 > 0:03:42of them, but the way Liliya Shobukhova took off...
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I mean at the time it did feel superhuman to me.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48I was left feeling like I'd failed, like I'd let people
0:03:48 > 0:03:50down that supported me.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55Whereas when I look back at it now, maybe I wasn't failing
0:03:55 > 0:03:58and it is frustrating because I can never get that moment back.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05It wasn't until 2014 that Jo Pavey discovered the truth
0:04:05 > 0:04:08about what she'd long suspected.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12A German documentary, made here in Berlin,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15exposed state-sponsored doping of Russian athletes,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18including Liliya Shobukhova.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23She and five other athletes had been caught in IAAF doping tests a year
0:04:23 > 0:04:27before the London Olympics, and it was being covered up.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Morning Hajo, Mark Daly here.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Hajo Seppelt is the reporter who broke the story.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38This was a massive violation of the competition itself,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42of the sport itself.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45And to be honest, it was a fraud for the whole public,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48for the whole public worldwide.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52People watched the Olympics in London.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55What they had seen, but have not been aware of it, was fraud.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Nothing more than fraud.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Liliya Shobukhova.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05It was a cover-up on a grand scale, and it was being orchestrated
0:05:05 > 0:05:08by people inside the sport's governing body.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11This was proof for the very first time that corruption,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14corrupt people, had managed to infiltrate sport
0:05:14 > 0:05:17at its very heart.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20This meant that athletes who had doped, who had cheated,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24were allowed to line up and race in the London Olympics.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30At the heart of the cover-up was a blackmail plot.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Shobukhova was told by Russian officials if she wanted
0:05:34 > 0:05:37to compete in London, she had to pay 450,000 euros
0:05:37 > 0:05:40to make her doping problems go away.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42She paid up.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47They sold the right to stand, or to be on the starting line
0:05:47 > 0:05:50at the Olympics, to cheaters.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53But honest officials inside the IAAF couldn't believe their eyes
0:05:53 > 0:05:57when they saw Shobukhova running in London.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59They raised the alarm.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02What happened next left a trail of corruption that led to the very
0:06:02 > 0:06:05top of athletics.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08The Russian Federation went back to her and said,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11"We're sorry, we're going to have to ban you anyway".
0:06:11 > 0:06:14She said, "Wait a minute, I've paid a fortune to have this
0:06:14 > 0:06:18struck from my record, I want my money back".
0:06:18 > 0:06:23And then there's this ridiculous situation where she gets a partial
0:06:23 > 0:06:27refund of 300,000 euros, made from an account linked
0:06:27 > 0:06:30to the president's son.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39This is the president's son...
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Papa Massata Diack.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45At the time, a marketing consultant to the IAAF
0:06:45 > 0:06:49and an influential insider.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Behind the scenes and international criminal investigation
0:06:52 > 0:06:57began, led by the French.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02Its focus - Papa Massata Diack.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07Shobukhova says she had to pay 450,000 euros,
0:07:07 > 0:07:12in order to be allowed to continue to compete -
0:07:12 > 0:07:17even if she should have been banned because of doping.
0:07:17 > 0:07:25And Papa Massata Diack is alleged to be a part of the corruption case.
0:07:27 > 0:07:34That would make him very high up in this chain of corruption then?
0:07:34 > 0:07:40It would make him an important person in this corruption.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Papa Diack was forced to step down from the IAAF,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48as was its treasurer, while the corruption
0:07:48 > 0:07:51allegations were investigated.
0:07:53 > 0:07:54But for the rest of the organisation, it
0:07:54 > 0:07:58was business as usual.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Papa's father, Lamine Diack, who'd been president for 16 years,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06had already announced his plans to retire.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Lord Coe, the man who served under him as a vice president
0:08:09 > 0:08:13for eight years, won the election for the top job.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17He lavished praise on the outgoing Lamine.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20He will always be our spiritual president, and he will certainly
0:08:20 > 0:08:22be my spiritual president, so thank you Lamine,
0:08:22 > 0:08:23for your help.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26And a promise for the future.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29At the heart of the sport, our sport, sits trust and integrity,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32and if there is a real problem or a perceived problem,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35we have to deal with it.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39But the honeymoon didn't last long.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Three months after Lord Coe was elected president,
0:08:42 > 0:08:46his predecessor Lamine Diack was arrested.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Days later the World Anti-Doping Agency published an independent
0:08:51 > 0:08:56report - confirming systemic doping in Russia, as well as corruption
0:08:56 > 0:08:59and bribery at the highest level of the IAAF.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02The chief investigator was Jack Robertson.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Treatment for throat cancer has affected his voice.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30The crisis was deepening.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35Lord Coe was not one of the IAAF officials found to be personally
0:09:35 > 0:09:37involved in the Russian doping and corruption scandal,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40but he had been a vice president throughout.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45Is Sebastian Coe the right man to lead the IAAF out of this mess?
0:09:45 > 0:09:52I think that Seb Coe is somebody who can grasp this, and be
0:09:52 > 0:09:57transformational enough to bring about some change in athletics.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59But that wasn't enough for many.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02The world now wanted to know what Lord Coe knew
0:10:02 > 0:10:04- and when.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07The allegations that corruption has taken place
0:10:07 > 0:10:10in our organisation are truly shocking, and no, I did not know
0:10:10 > 0:10:13the basis of those allegations.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Lord Coe was called to give evidence to Parliament.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22MPs wanted to know why he hadn't been more prominent in pressing
0:10:22 > 0:10:25the doping issue while he was a vice president.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30I was certainly not aware of the specific allegations that had
0:10:30 > 0:10:36been made around the corruption of anti-doping processes in Russia.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39And what about the alleged involvement of the former
0:10:39 > 0:10:42president's son, Papa Diack?
0:10:44 > 0:10:50But you were aware of allegations against his son, Papa Massata Diack?
0:10:50 > 0:10:55Well, they were allegations that were aired in the ARD documentary.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03But I've seen evidence, along with another journalist
0:11:03 > 0:11:06from the Daily Mail, that undermines what Lord Coe has said.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09The chronology of this is crucial.
0:11:09 > 0:11:15In April 2014 an IAAF employee helps Shobukhova's agent
0:11:15 > 0:11:17compile a complaint, detailing the corruption
0:11:17 > 0:11:20and the extortion.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23That complaint is submitted to the Ethics Commission,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25with the help of former world record-holder,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Dave Bedford.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Three months later, Mr Bedford decided to bring it to the attention
0:11:30 > 0:11:33of one man in the IAAF he trusted.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37In August 2014 he e-mailed the complaint to the then vice
0:11:37 > 0:11:40president, Lord Coe.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44I've seen the complaint, and it details precisely the corruption,
0:11:44 > 0:11:50extortion and bribery allegations and the suggestion that
0:11:50 > 0:11:51Papa Massata Diack, the president's son,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55could have been involved.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Now, these claims set out in black and white,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01were the claims that would eventually bring the sport
0:12:01 > 0:12:05of athletics to its knees - sent directly to Lord Coe's e-mail.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09So four months before that German documentary revealed the scandals,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12we know Lord Coe was e-mailed about the doping, the cover-up
0:12:12 > 0:12:17and the plot to extort money from Shobukhova.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Lord Coe, from what you've been told, was sent this evidence,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24and therefore I think his answer to the Select Committee
0:12:24 > 0:12:26was deliberately misleading, to create the impression
0:12:26 > 0:12:29that he was totally unaware of any specific allegations of this kind.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Not only does it look like Lord Coe misled Parliament, it
0:12:33 > 0:12:37raises more questions for the IAAF President.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39These involved serious criminal matters.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42The right thing to do would be to put that information
0:12:42 > 0:12:45into the hands of the criminal authorities, straight away.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Time to track down the man at the heart of the scandal,
0:12:50 > 0:12:55Papa Massata Diack.
0:12:59 > 0:13:00Dakar, Senegal - Papa Massata Diack's home.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04And prison.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08If he sets foot outside the country, he'll be arrested and deported
0:13:08 > 0:13:10to France, where his father Lamine is already facing
0:13:10 > 0:13:13corruption charges.
0:13:20 > 0:13:27It took two trips to Senegal, a dozen meetings with his advisers,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29and several false starts, but eventually he agreed
0:13:29 > 0:13:32to an interview.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42The Ethics Commission has banned you for life, Interpol wants
0:13:42 > 0:13:45you for criminal allegations of bribery and corruption.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Are you the most corrupt man in athletics?
0:13:48 > 0:13:49No way, I'm not.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53I totally reject those allegations.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56I have never, never, never been involved in any
0:13:56 > 0:14:00payment or any extortion of Lilia Shobukhova.
0:14:00 > 0:14:07But French investigators have linked him to a company
0:14:07 > 0:14:08called Black Tidings, involved in the Liliya
0:14:08 > 0:14:09Shobukhova extortion plot.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12It was a Black Tidings account that refunded most of
0:14:12 > 0:14:13the extortion money.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15So have you got any relationship to the Black Tidings account?
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Have you ever received money from Black Tidings?
0:14:17 > 0:14:20I know the owner of Black Tidings, and I recognised it immediately
0:14:20 > 0:14:21on your statement...
0:14:21 > 0:14:25You've never had any money from Black Tidings?
0:14:25 > 0:14:27They're saying I'm linked to the payment from Black Tidings
0:14:27 > 0:14:29to the Russian athlete.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30That's what they say.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Let them prove it.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36So Papa Diack denies involvement in the Shobukhova plot,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40but he says there was a plan to delay announcing Russian
0:14:40 > 0:14:42doping bans until after the Moscow World
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Championships in 2013.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48All we did about this Russian affair was to protect our
0:14:48 > 0:14:52world championship.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57There was no cover up of any, any, any doping matters.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00We didn't want to affect both the World Championship 2013
0:15:00 > 0:15:04and the Winter Games, which Russia spent $51 billion.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08After our documentary it was known for everyone,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11not only the world of sports, that this person is one of
0:15:11 > 0:15:12the most corrupt and dangerous persons.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15He is toxic.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17You cannot work with him, you cannot collaborate with him.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20It is absolutely impossible.
0:15:24 > 0:15:30In international athletics all roads lead to Monaco, home of the IAAF.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38We appear to have landed into the middle of the Monaco Formula 1 Grand
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Prix set up.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45I'm not entirely sure we're supposed to be here.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52I think the IAAF office...
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Let's find some parking.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56..is going to be right up there.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05What I discovered next calls into question how Lord Coe ran
0:16:05 > 0:16:12his election campaign to win the IAAF presidency.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19"Thank you once again for your advice.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34Just who is said taking advice from and getting cosy
0:16:34 > 0:16:36with in these text messages while he is campaigning for
0:16:36 > 0:16:41President?
0:16:41 > 0:16:47I met him in Beijing, I met him in Nassau at his request.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51I met him again, he came to check me up in Beijing before the elections.
0:16:51 > 0:16:52Yes, three times.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53You met three times, OK.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58So Sebastian Coe asked you for political campaign advice?
0:16:58 > 0:17:01He came to meet me, yes.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04This was the spring and summer of 2015 - several months
0:17:04 > 0:17:06after the world knew Papa Diack had been accused
0:17:06 > 0:17:08of dishonesty on a grand scale.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10We have to treat his claims with extreme caution.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12But there is evidence.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15What we've got is a cache of emails and maybe more significantly text
0:17:15 > 0:17:17messages, SMSs, private messages between Papa Massata Diack
0:17:17 > 0:17:24and Sebastian Coe, and his effective campaign manager, Nick Davies.
0:17:29 > 0:17:35Nick Davies was head of communications at the IAAF
0:17:35 > 0:17:37and was helping with Lord Coe's election campaign.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42So, it seems, was Papa Diack.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45"Seb is very happy with your political campaign advice.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49He told me about your Bahamas meeting."
0:17:49 > 0:17:52"Hey Papa!"
0:17:52 > 0:17:54"Seb has been trying to reach you by French mobile.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57He wants to speak to you and thank you for your support."
0:17:57 > 0:17:59"Awaiting his call."
0:17:59 > 0:18:00"Spoke with Seb."
0:18:00 > 0:18:06"Yes - Seb told me he had and to thank you for the advice."
0:18:06 > 0:18:10I do know how the politics works in the IAAF.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12And I gave him my ideas and we shared those ideas.
0:18:12 > 0:18:19Nick Davies was the go-between Seb and myself.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26It wasn't just ideas.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29In the days before the election he appeared to provide information
0:18:29 > 0:18:34on the tactics of Lord Coe's rival Sergey Bubka.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40"I discovered the edge SB is trying to use Areas vs
0:18:40 > 0:18:41The Olympic Athlete Dividend".
0:18:41 > 0:18:46"Good info - will pass it on."
0:18:46 > 0:18:51But he went much further than that.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Papa Diack seemed to provide intelligence on how IAAF
0:18:53 > 0:18:57delegates might vote in the Presidential election.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00"Speak to Phil Knight for confirmation of Steve Miller
0:19:00 > 0:19:05(USATF delegate to Congress) for his pledge!!!??"
0:19:05 > 0:19:09He says, "get a message to Seb,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13tell him to speak to Phil Knight of Nike, for confirmation of the USA
0:19:13 > 0:19:16delegate for his pledge."
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Lord Coe knows Phil Knight because he was a paid
0:19:20 > 0:19:22ambassador for Nike.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Every vote counted.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26And 40 minutes later.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29"Done!"
0:19:29 > 0:19:32"Just bumped into Seb - he is extremely grateful
0:19:32 > 0:19:37for your advice and friendship - see you later!"
0:19:37 > 0:19:41During Lord Coe's election campaign, Eugene in America,
0:19:41 > 0:19:42the birthplace of Nike, was awarded the 2021 World
0:19:42 > 0:19:52Athletics Championships without a bidding process.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Sebastian Coe came under extreme pressure over his potential conflict
0:19:57 > 0:20:00of interest with his role at Nike and he was at pains to say
0:20:00 > 0:20:03that his role with Nike had never interfered with his role
0:20:03 > 0:20:04at the IAAF.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Lord Coe reluctantly gave up his role as a Nike ambassador
0:20:07 > 0:20:09after I revealed he may have lobbied Lamine Diack
0:20:09 > 0:20:10on behalf of Eugene's bid.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14Which he denies.
0:20:14 > 0:20:23And now the Eugene decision is under investigation.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26The way that Eugene has been chosen and specially what was the role
0:20:26 > 0:20:33of Sebastian Coe in that decision, because Lamine Diack was supposed
0:20:33 > 0:20:36not to choose before leaving as the President and then
0:20:36 > 0:20:42he changed his mind.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46So we are just checking why he changed his mind.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Neither Mr Knight, nor Mr Miller responded to our
0:20:51 > 0:20:55questions about contact during Lord Coe's election campaign.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00Papa Diack's help came with strings attached.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05"In your next press statements you must clearly
0:21:05 > 0:21:11speak about President's achievements in 16 years!"
0:21:11 > 0:21:13"Absolutely, I always do but will make an extra effort.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14Thanks. S."
0:21:14 > 0:21:16"And leave the doping platform!!
0:21:16 > 0:21:20It is a bad mantra for your campaigning."
0:21:20 > 0:21:23"Will do."
0:21:23 > 0:21:26I showed the messages to Jack Robertson,
0:21:26 > 0:21:31the man who investigated the Shobukhova scandal.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34And this is in the middle of our investigation where it
0:21:34 > 0:21:37appears that Coe is taking advice from someone who is at the centre
0:21:37 > 0:21:42of this scandal to extort athletes.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45It's wrong on so many fronts.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46It's, it's not just disappointing.
0:21:46 > 0:21:52It's disgusting.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57But why would Lord Coe want to get up close and personal
0:21:57 > 0:22:00with Papa Diack at a time when he was under
0:22:00 > 0:22:02investigation for corruption?
0:22:02 > 0:22:05If he had not the blessing of Lamine Diack or my support,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07he would have never been elected as the IAAF President.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09That, he knows that.
0:22:14 > 0:22:20So was the secret alliance with the man Lord Coe knew
0:22:20 > 0:22:25was accused of corruption all about votes?
0:22:25 > 0:22:28"Hi, Papa - Seb feels a shift tonight in Africa -
0:22:28 > 0:22:31should he be worried?"
0:22:31 > 0:22:33"Good then!!!!
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Support of Africa confirmed (24 out of 30)!
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Good luck."
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Now presumably that's 24 out of the 30 nations that Diack
0:22:40 > 0:22:45was able to speak to and 24 is an extremely significant number
0:22:45 > 0:22:47because when Sebastian Coe won the election, he won
0:22:47 > 0:22:51it by just 23 votes.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55A few days earlier, Lord Coe seemed keen to make sure Papa Diack made
0:22:55 > 0:23:00an important meeting.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05"Are you still in Dubai? Our friend is trying to find you."
0:23:05 > 0:23:08"I have delayed my departure from 4am to 11am to see
0:23:08 > 0:23:11him if he wishes so!!"
0:23:11 > 0:23:13"Good."
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Papa Diack told me 'our friend' is Hamad Kalkaba Malboum,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18President of the African Athletics Federation.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21His support was crucial.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25"Well done for the final race of your career!!
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Long life and best in your endeavours, Mr President
0:23:28 > 0:23:31IOC Cardinal!
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Please make a special vote of thanks to Kalkaba."
0:23:35 > 0:23:39"THANK YOU, of course I will, see you later."
0:23:40 > 0:23:43I wrote to Lord Coe asking about his relationship with Papa Diack.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45He said no to an interview and didn't respond to
0:23:45 > 0:23:50any of my questions.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53So I came to Norway, where Lord Coe was due
0:23:53 > 0:23:54to speak at a conference.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Lord Coe, Good morning. Good morning
0:23:56 > 0:23:58How are you? I'm very good, thank you.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59Mark Daly from BBC Panorama.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02No, no, we're just going straight to the conference.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03Mark Daly from BBC Panorama.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Can I ask you a few questions, Lord Coe?
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Thank you. Can I ask you a few questions?
0:24:07 > 0:24:09I think our offices have been in touch, so...
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Yeah, the problem is, they haven't actually answered
0:24:11 > 0:24:13any of our questions.
0:24:13 > 0:24:14I'm going that way. Thank you.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Why were you so close to Papa Massata Diack in the run
0:24:17 > 0:24:21to your presidential election?
0:24:21 > 0:24:24At this point you knew that he was accused of the most serious
0:24:24 > 0:24:25corruption...
0:24:25 > 0:24:27How was the journey in?
0:24:27 > 0:24:31..that athletics has ever seen.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Perhaps you could explain why you were in such contact
0:24:33 > 0:24:35with Papa Massata Diack?
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Look, I know our offices have been in touch.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Do speak to Jackie Brock-Doyle who's our director of communications
0:24:40 > 0:24:44because I know she's been speaking regularly to your team.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48We haven't got any answers to our questions though.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51And what would he say about whether he'd been entirely
0:24:51 > 0:24:53frank with MPs over the Shobukhova scandal -
0:24:53 > 0:24:56what he knew and when?
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Can I ask, did you mislead Parliament?
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Lord Coe?
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Thanks very much.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08You've told us to trust you, that you're the man to save athletics.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Perhaps we could have some answers to our questions?
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Lord Coe?
0:25:13 > 0:25:16I thought I'd have one more go.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Did you take political campaign advice from Papa Massata Diack
0:25:18 > 0:25:21when he was accused of corruption?
0:25:21 > 0:25:25It's a very simple question, Lord Coe, yes or no.
0:25:25 > 0:25:26Thank you.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31Did you take political campaign advice from Papa Diack
0:25:31 > 0:25:33when he was accused of corruption?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Yes or no, Lord Coe?
0:25:35 > 0:25:37OK. Thank you very much.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Thank you.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42The next day Lord Coe gave us a statement.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46He says the suggestion he actively sought Papa Diack's advice is wrong.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48He says lots of people offer advice, wanted or not, some
0:25:48 > 0:25:54helpful, some not.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57He says you try to be civil but wary, and this was the case
0:25:57 > 0:26:00with Mr Diack, who sent messages of support whilst at the same time
0:26:00 > 0:26:03supporting other candidates.
0:26:03 > 0:26:08We'd also asked Lord Coe why he told MPs he was not aware of the specific
0:26:08 > 0:26:11allegations of corruption, despite them being sent to his email
0:26:11 > 0:26:15months before the scandal broke.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18He says he was forwarded a number of emails and sent
0:26:18 > 0:26:20them on to the IAAF's independent ethics commission,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22who told him they were actively investigating and he therefore
0:26:22 > 0:26:29left them to do so.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Nick Davies says he did not enlist the support of Papa Diack
0:26:33 > 0:26:38and that his contact with him was at the request of the then
0:26:38 > 0:26:41President Lamine Diack who assured him his
0:26:41 > 0:26:45son was innocent.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Without the support of Papa Diack, Lord Coe may never have become
0:26:48 > 0:26:53President of the IAAF.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56This for me is the pinnacle.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58It is my sport, my passion, the thing that I've
0:26:58 > 0:27:01always wanted to do.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04And there was a debt to be fulfilled, which was
0:27:04 > 0:27:06paid - with flattery.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09He will always be our spiritual president and he will certainly
0:27:09 > 0:27:11be my spiritual president.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13So, thank you, Lamine, for your help.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Sometimes in politics people probably are put in a position
0:27:16 > 0:27:19where they're asked to do and say things in order to win support,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22to win an election even if they're not always comfortable with it.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Maybe Lord Coe felt that he was in that position.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28But what's absolutely clear is what the Diack family wanted
0:27:28 > 0:27:31was Coe's endorsement, his support for their regime,
0:27:31 > 0:27:36and for that to be made clearly and repeatedly and publicly,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39and Lord Coe certainly delivered on that.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41I think the sport has to look forward.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45I think that's the biggest point here.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48We can look back and criticise, we can look back and say things
0:27:48 > 0:27:49should have been done differently.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52The fact is Seb's at the steering wheel, the sport
0:27:52 > 0:27:54is doing the clean-up, and we are looking forwards.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58I hate to use the word, but he got in bed with the devil
0:27:58 > 0:28:01to win the election and I don't mean to call Papa Diack the devil
0:28:01 > 0:28:03but he was certainly in the middle of the investigation.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07And if he makes a decision such as that, how can we trust him
0:28:07 > 0:28:13with other decisions?
0:28:13 > 0:28:18My bottom line is clean athletes deserve better.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Tomorrow Lord Coe will decide whether to ban Russian athletes
0:28:21 > 0:28:24from the Rio Olympics.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27He shouldn't have a choice.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31Is Russia cooperating with your investigation?
0:28:31 > 0:28:33A request for legal assistance has been sent to Russia
0:28:33 > 0:28:37but we are still waiting.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39When was that request sent?
0:28:39 > 0:28:42At the beginning of the year.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44So they're not cooperating?
0:28:44 > 0:28:46We're still waiting.
0:28:46 > 0:28:47You're hoping?
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Always.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52In Paris they may be waiting but in London the question
0:28:52 > 0:28:55is being asked - is Lord Coe a man who can be trusted
0:28:55 > 0:28:58with the future of athletics?
0:28:59 > 0:29:03If he won't be drawn on the past and what he knew and can't come up
0:29:03 > 0:29:05with a compelling argument for the way he conducted himself,
0:29:05 > 0:29:08then I don't see how he could continue as President
0:29:08 > 0:29:11of the IAAF because he would lack the public support to do so.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14A month after Lord Coe's election as President,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17and just weeks before Lamine Diack's arrest,
0:29:17 > 0:29:19Lord Coe, Nick Davies
0:29:19 > 0:29:22and the Diacks, father and son, gathered in Monaco.
0:29:22 > 0:29:27Perhaps to celebrate a satisfactory succession.