A Tokyo 2020 Olympics spokeswoman says a reference in the World Anti-Doping agency panel report into the IAAF that suggests Japan paid several million dollars to the track and field international governing body is “beyond our understanding.”
A footnote to the WADA report indicates that Lamine Diack, a former International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, was prepared to sell his vote in the 2020 Olympic hosting contest in exchange for sponsorship for IAAF events.
Tokyo beat Istanbul and Madrid in the bidding to host the 2020 Games.
The accusation emerged when Turkish track officials appeared to record a meeting with Diack’s son, Khalil.
The note says: “Turkey lost LD’s support because they did not pay sponsorship moneys of $4 to 5 million either to the Diamond League or IAAF. According [to] the transcript the Japanese did pay such a sum.”
In a prepared statement, Tokyo 2020 spokeswoman Hikariko Ono said: “The note in the report is beyond our understanding.”
“The Games were awarded to Tokyo because the city presented the best bid,” Ono said. “Tokyo’s bid was about Japan’s commitment to address issues around the integrity of sport.”
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