Frankie Fredericks suspended by IOC following corruption charge

Frankie Fredericks is a four-time Olympic silver medallist and was world 200m champion in 1993

FOUR-time Olympic silver medallist Frankie Fredericks has been suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after being charged with money laundering and corruption.

Fredericks, 50, was charged by the French authorities last week.

He was accused of accepting a bribe of $299,300 (£230,000) from the son of ex-IAAF president Lamine Diack when Rio won the vote to host the 2016 Olympics.

The IOC suspended him on Tuesday citing “the impact on the IOC’s reputation”.

The IOC’s executive board said in a statement: “Considering the gravity and urgency of the situation and its impact on the reputation of the IOC, the IOC executive board decides to suspend Mr Frank Fredericks from all the rights, prerogatives and functions deriving from his quality as an IOC member.”

Namibian Fredericks, who was a member of the IAAF council and a prominent figure within the IOC, claims the money was legitimate payment for consultancy and promotional work for athletics’ governing body.

He was provisionally suspended from the IAAF in July, when the organisation’s Athletic Integrity Unit opened an investigation into the matter.

He won Olympic silver medals in the 100m and 200m at both Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996. He also won gold in the 200m at the World Championships in 1993.

Fredericks was the chair of the 2024 Olympic bid evaluation committee when the allegations were made, but stepped down in March following the accusations.

He also left his position in the IAAF task force, which was responsible for evaluating Russia’s return to the sport after its doping scandals. – bbc