Nick Davies, senior IAAF official, steps down amid ethics probe

The IAAF says the director of president Sebastian Coe's office is temporarily stepping down pending an ethics probe into emails linked to Russian doping cases.

Emails linked to Russian Doping cases will be looked into

Nick Davies, the director of IAAF president Sebastian Coe's office, is stepping down pending a probe into emails linked to the Russian doping case. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

The IAAF says the director of president Sebastian Coe's office is temporarily stepping down pending an ethics probe into emails linked to Russian doping cases.

A French newspaper report alleged that Nick Davies tried to delay public identification of alleged Russian drug cheats ahead of the 2013 world championships in Moscow. Davies was IAAF communications director at the time, with Lamine Diack still president.

In a statement on Tuesday, Davies says "in order to demonstrate that I am willing to have all allegations of unethical behaviour on my part in 2013 properly and fairly investigated I have referred my emails" to the IAAF ethics board.

Davies says he's "decided to step aside from my role" to allow the IAAF to decide "if I am responsible for any breach."