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 "It (the IAAF) needs to be brought down and rebuilt from the
ground," Oliver said of the recent doping and corruption scandal
that has engulfed the sport.
"If it touched anybody, either directly or indirectly, in this,
everybody has just got to go," added the American, who won gold in
the 110 meters hurdles at the 2013 world championships in Moscow.
An independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
stated in a damning report that "corruption was embedded" at the
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
The report found that a clique run by former IAAF president Lamine
Diack, who is under investigation by French authorities, covered up
organized doping and blackmailed athletes while senior officials
looked the other way. "The sport is at a point where there is no
trust anywhere," Oliver, who has served on the IAAF athletes
commission, said at the Camel City Elite meeting in Winston-Salem.
"Clean athletes can't get a fair shake. If you see an amazing
performance, people say, 'ah they are probably dirty'. "I know I
don't really trust anything my eyes see anymore."
GREATEST PRESIDENT
Oliver expressed concern about Coe's leadership, after the British
former Olympic 1,500 meters champion spent seven years as IAAF vice
president under Diack but denied any knowledge of his president's
alleged activities.
"For me, plausible deniability doesn't work for somebody who is in
power," Oliver said, before adding that Coe should be given the
opportunity to right the ship.
"He was elected so he should be able to oversee the efforts to clean
everything up. He could be the greatest president in IAAF history if
he overcomes what is going on," he said.
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Russia were banned from the sport indefinitely following the first
part of the WADA report, which found a "deeply rooted culture of
cheating" in Russian athletics.
They will only be eligible for August's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
if their suspended federation meets standards set by the IAAF and
currently being investigated by a task force.
"Whatever the criteria they have to meet, if it is thoroughly up to
stuff, they should be able to participate," Oliver said. "But if
there is even an inkling of wrongdoing still going on, unfortunately
all should have to pay the price."
Jason Richardson, the 2011 100m hurdles world champion, said he
would have no problem with Russian athletes competing in Rio.
"Even though there is such a thing as systematic doping out there, I
would just hate to believe there are some who are not doping who are
going to be penalized," Richardson told Reuters.
"I would prefer more of an investigation on an individual basis."
Richardson believes current world champion Sergey Shubenkov is among
those Russians who are competing clean.
"I do, he is very technically sound," Richardson said.
(Editing by Toby Davis)
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