Sponsor Adidas says closely monitoring progress over doping scandal

Ben Bassey 16:19 - 03 March 2016

Sponsor Adidas says closely monitoring IAAF progress over doping scandal

"The IAAF (the athletic body) knows exactly where we are going with our policy in terms of doping. We are in very close contact with the IAAF and will watch very closely what they are doing with this problem."

German sportswear company Adidas is monitoring how world athletics is dealing with a doping scandal while its current sponsorship deal still runs, the firm's chief executive said on Thursday.

"We have not terminated our contract (with the International Association of Athletics Federations),” Herbert Hainer told a news conference to present his company's annual results.

In January, the BBC reported that Adidas, the biggest sponsor of the IAAF, was ending its deal early after an independent report found Russia had engaged in widespread, state-sponsored doping, which former IAAF president Lamine Diack has been accused of covering up in return for bribes.

Hainer welcomed reforms adopted last week at world soccer body FIFA to help overcome its corruption scandal, saying Adidas, along with other sponsors, were working to make sure the reforms are put into practice.