Shadows of financial scandal in the International Olympic Committee

Former Olympic sprinter Frankie Fredericks has turned himself over to the IOC ethics commission following a French newspaper report linking him to a payment from a man who has been banned for life from track and field for corruption. The payment of $299,300 to an offshore company linked to Fredericks came in 2009 on the day that Rio de Janeiro was awarded hosting rights for the 2016 Olympics, French newspaper Le Monde reported.

Fredericks, a Namibian sprinter who won silver medals in the 100 and 200 meters at both the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, is a member of the International Olympic Committee and currently the head of the evaluation commission for the 2024 Olympics. "He informed the IOC and explained the situation and emphasized his innocence immediately upon being contacted by the journalist," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said in an email. "The IOC trusts that Mr. Fredericks will bring all the elements to prove his innocence against these allegations made by Le Monde."