Allegations "about the demanding and extorting of bribes to cover up test results" in athletics raises the question of what might be done for athletes who have missed out on their rightful rewards, according to Christopher Clarey of the N.Y. TIMES.
Reallocating medals "has become standard practice."
But "what about a more radical approach: paying reparations to those who were cheated?"
IAAF President Sebastian Coe said, "I think that’s quite tricky legally, but look, I’m not ruling anything in, and I’m not ruling anything out at the moment."
The idea "is certainly worth a long look, and there is the possibility that legal action could make it even more pressing business." Doping "is fraud, and so is covering up doping when it allows for competition by athletes who should have been excluded." Alysia Montano, the American 800m runner who finished fifth at the 2012 Olympics behind two Russians accused of cheating, said, "There’s so much stuff you can’t get back; it’s like a class-action lawsuit that we’re looking at." Canadian racewalker Evan Dunfee declared last week that since '05, Russian racewalkers had effectively "stolen" $1.7M in prize money from clean athletes with their performances in world championships and the World Walking Cup. Prize money and sponsor bonuses "are only part of the loss." Even more difficult to recover "is the value of would-be endorsements, appearance fees and contracts." There "is also the mental anguish of defeat."
Former U.S. shot putter Adam Nelson said, "I’ve seen a number of athletes who were so concerned and angry about what everybody else was doing or may have been doing that it literally ruined their careers and their lives." British website LawInSport Founder & CEO Sean Cottrell said, "It’s going to be really interesting to see if any athletes bring any claims." The question is whom to target: the IAAF, "the Russian federation or the penalized athletes themselves."
Cottrell said, "It will be very expensive to go after the athletes, and I’m not sure how much money Russian athletes have at this stage."
Last year, the Track and Field Athletes Association, a still-fledgling group led by Nelson, called on the IAAF, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Russian federation "to pay reparations to athletes." Nelson: "It would be a huge symbol, a huge gesture from the IAAF to recognize and take ownership of the fact that they really did mess up, and it’s not just the IAAF" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/17).
