Convicted ex-head of world athletics Lamine Diack dies at 88

The late Lamine Diack addresses IAAF delegates in a past event. [Photo, Reuters]

Lamine Diack, the former head of world athletics' governing body who was convicted of corruption last year, died at home in Senegal, on Friday.

He was 88.,

Diack led the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), now World Athletics, from 1999 to 2015.

He was later found guilty of running a clique that covered up Russian doping in return for millions of dollars in bribes.

A French court sentenced him to four years in prison in 2020, but he was never jailed.

He remained under house arrest and was later released on bail.

"He died at home around 2 a.m. of a natural death," said his son, Massata Diack told Reuters

Diack's lawyers had previously said he was in poor health and would die if sent to jail.