World Athletics hit by £1.3m corporate fraud

World Athletics has dismissed staff and alerted law enforcement after uncovering corporate theft worth more than €1.5 million (£1.3 million).

The sport’s global governing body said the fraud — involving two employees and an external consultant was carried out over several years and came to light during its first annual audit under new financial leadership.

One employee had already left the organisation before the theft was discovered earlier this year. The other employee and the consultant were dismissed following an internal investigation. Detailed evidence has since been handed over to judicial authorities for criminal investigation.

President Sebastian Coe said World Athletics was “determined to recover whatever monies we are able using the full force of the law.”

He added: “Too many organisations brush incidents like this under the carpet, which allows perpetrators to continue their scams elsewhere. We are not that type of organisation. We pride ourselves on good governance, transparency, and doing the right thing even when it’s uncomfortable.”

The governing body said it will introduce strengthened internal financial controls to prevent similar incidents in the future.