Paris Court Postpones Corruption Retrial of Ex-IAAF Chief’s Son to December

The appeals court in Paris on Wednesday postponed the corruption retrial of Papa Massata Diack son of the late disgraced former head of athletics Lamine Diack until December 8, 2025.

Papa Massata Diack was originally convicted in 2020, alongside five others for orchestrating a cover-up of Russian doping offenses in exchange for lucrative sponsorship contracts.

He was sentenced to five years in prison and fined one million euros. However, France’s highest court ruled in 2024 that the retrial should take place at the Paris appeals court after some parts of the earlier conviction were annulled.

At Wednesday’s hearing, the defense requested more time to prepare their case leading to the trial’s postponement.

Diack who played a prominent role as a marketing consultant for the IAAF has remained in Senegal which has refused extradition.

The case centers on the concealment of doping by Russian athletes, allowing them to compete at major international events like the 2012 London Olympics and the 2013 World Championships.

The scandal has had lasting repercussions on the reputation of world athletics governance and highlights ongoing efforts to combat corruption in sports.