19 October 2026
In January 2016, the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Independent Commission delivered a scathing report on the world athletics organisation, finding a culture of "consistent disregard for ethical behaviour" and a "conspiracy to conduct and conceal corrupt behaviour" by top officials. The report detailed how governance had "completely broken down," with an informal illegitimate structure operating under the authority of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Anti-doping processes were found to be fatally flawed, with whistleblower mechanisms nonexistent.
The catalog of failings was extensive and damning. The commission found it "completely improper" for the IAAF president's personal legal counsel to manage suspected Russian doping cases. The organization’s governing council was judged to have been unable to have missed the extent of doping and non-enforcement of anti-doping rules. The recommendation to completely separate anti-doping from sport-political and commercial activities was necessary, as was the creation of an independent compliance commission.
In the eight years since, World Athletics - as the IAAF now calls itself - has sought to shore up its governance. Three independent bodies now oversee the organization: the Integrity Unit Board; the Vetting Panel, which decides candidates' eligibility for office; and the Election Oversight Panel, which manages election processes. World Athletics' anti-doping, integrity investigations, election rules and due diligence practices were praised by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) in a 2026 governance review.
Yet even this latest overhaul has been marred by scandal. In 2026, the organization uncovered systematic theft worth €1.5 million, carried out by two employees and a contractor over several years. The theft was detected during the first annual audit by a new financial leadership team.
The question now is: have the reforms been sufficient, or are they an illusion? The existence of independent vetting and oversight is welcome, but danger signs remain. The theft case suggests that even with recent advances in governance, the organization can still be undermined by malicious insiders. The effectiveness of the integrity unit and other independent bodies will likely require ongoing scrutiny.
World Athletics has certainly made efforts to boost accountability. But the underlying attitude within athletics is not so easily changed. The challenge remains: probing deeper to identify the flaws that allowed corruption to flourish, then working to hardwire permanent change - and hoping that the current wave of reforms doesn't prove to be the latest nail in the integrity coffin.