World Athletics Exposes €1.5 Million Employee Theft, Strengthens Financial Controls

World Athletics has revealed that it uncovered the systematic theft of more than €1.5 million by two employees and a contracted consultant, following a detailed internal investigation earlier this year.

According to the international athletics governing body, the fraudulent activity which took place over several years was detected by its finance department during the first annual audit under a new financial leadership team.

One of the employees involved had already left the organisation before their misconduct was discovered, while another staff member and the external consultant were dismissed after the internal probe confirmed their involvement.

World Athletics confirmed that comprehensive case files have been submitted to the relevant judicial and legal authorities for criminal investigation.

To reinforce transparency and accountability, the organisation commissioned an independent forensic accounting review covering the period in question. The review found no evidence of further fraudulent activity. In response, World Athletics is introducing a series of enhanced internal financial controls across the organisation to prevent future breaches.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said “Unfortunately, corporate theft happens in organisations around the world and across all industry sectors at different levels. The most important thing is to identify it, review how it was able to happen and then introduce new processes and enhanced controls to ensure it doesn’t happen again. This is what we have done.

“We are also determined to recover whatever monies we are able using the full force of the law to do this. Too many organisations brush incidents like this under the carpet, terminating employment with limited information which allows perpetrators to continue their scams and thefts within new organisations. We are not that type of organisation.

“We have built a strong reputation for good governance, transparency and for defending what is right, even if it is sometimes a little uncomfortable. This is uncomfortable but it is important that we do the right thing.”

The disclosure marks a significant step by World Athletics in reinforcing its commitment to integrity, transparency, and strong governance within the global sporting community.