Lamine Diack, Olympics Power Broker Convicted of Taking Bribes, Dies at 88

Lamine Diack, the former president of the world governing body for track and field, who was convicted last year of corruption for receiving bribes linked to a Russian doping scandal, died at his home on Friday in Senegal. He was 88.

His death was confirmed by his son, Papa Massata Diack.

Mr. Diack was for decades one of the most powerful men in sports as a member of the International Olympic Committee and as the head of the International Association of Athletics Federations, more commonly known by its initials, the I.A.A.F., which he headed from 1999 to 2015.

In November 2015, Mr. Diack’s legacy became mired in disgrace after he was detained in France over accusations that he had accepted more than $1 million in bribes from the Russian athletics federation in 2011.

According to French prosectors, the bribes were paid to cover up the positive doping tests of Russian athletes, some of whom competed at the 2012 London Olympics.

Mr. Diack’s son, who worked for his father as a sports official, and other I.A.A.F. officials were also accused of participating in one of biggest corruption schemes ever in global sports.

In September 2020, Mr. Diack was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to four years in prison, two of them suspended.