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Officials Accused of Extortion to Clear Athletes Who Doped

International sports officials have occasionally run afoul of their own rules and even the law over the years, from the Olympic officials caught accepting bribes to award the 2002 Winter Games to Salt Lake City, to the soccer officials who were more recently accused of accepting bribes related to TV contracts and World Cup bids.

But perhaps a new low for sports officials has been reached in track and field: Officials are accused of blackmailing some athletes who failed drug tests and choosing not to discipline runners who were suspected of doping.

The accusations were laid out in an 89-page report released on Thursday by the World Anti-Doping Agency.