World Athletics has been rocked by a major internal fraud scandal after discovering that two employees and a contracted consultant defrauded the organization of nearly $2 million over several years.
According to the governing body, the theft was uncovered during an annual audit conducted under new financial leadership. The audit revealed irregularities in financial transactions that led to a deeper internal investigation. One of the employees involved had already left the organization before the fraud was detected, while the other and the consultant were immediately dismissed following the findings.
World Athletics stated that it launched an independent forensic accounting review to assess the extent of the fraud. The review confirmed that no additional fraudulent activities had taken place beyond the discovered scheme. In response, the organization is implementing stricter internal financial controls to safeguard its funds and enhance transparency.
President Sebastian Coe condemned the actions of those involved, emphasizing that while corporate theft is a global issue, World Athletics would not tolerate such misconduct. He stressed the importance of accountability and transparency, saying that the organization would pursue full legal action to recover the stolen funds.
Coe reiterated that World Athletics remains committed to strong governance standards and will not conceal incidents of internal fraud. He explained that many organizations choose to handle such cases quietly, allowing perpetrators to move on without consequences. However, he affirmed that World Athletics intends to take decisive action to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The athletics body has also pledged to strengthen its monitoring mechanisms and introduce enhanced processes to ensure full compliance with financial management standards. The scandal, though damaging, has served as a wake-up call for World Athletics to reinforce its reputation for integrity and good governance within the global sports community.
