The IAAF ethics commission has brought disciplinary charges against four men, including the son of former president Lamine Diack and the former head of its anti-doping department, amid the corruption crisis engulfing international athletics.

Papa Massata Diack, Valentin Balakhnichev, Alexei Melnikov, and Gabriel Dolle have been charged with various alleged breaches of the IAAF code of ethics.

Papa Massata Diack is a former consultant to the IAAF, Balakhnichev is the former president of the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF), Melnikov is a former chief ARAF coach for long distance walkers and runners, and Dolle is the former director of the IAAF's anti-doping department.

Their cases will be heard at a hearing in London on December 16-18, commission chairman Michael Beloff QC said in a statement yesterday evening.

Beloff said an investigation was “also ongoing in respect of an additional person”.

The charges against the named quartet, which were issued in September, have been announced now after new IAAF president Sebastian Coe won approval to make “a significant amendment to the statutes of the IAAF code of ethics”, the governing body said.

French police have already revealed Lamine Diack, who was succeeded as head of the IAAF by Coe at the end of August, is being investigated over an alleged payment of more than one million euros to cover up doping offences by Russian athletes.

The charges were announced by the ethics commission on the day the IAAF cancelled its annual glittering awards ceremony, the World Athletics Gala, due to take place in Monaco on November 28.

“Given the cloud that hangs over our association this is clearly not the time for the global athletics family to be gathering in celebration of our sport,” Coe said.

Award winners will now be announced online.

The doping and corruption scandal broke in late 2014 when German broadcaster ARD alleged a number of positive dope tests involving Russian athletes were covered up by IAAF officials.

Officers visited the headquarters of international athletics in Monaco on Tuesday and took documents. It is understood Coe was at the offices at the time and volunteered to speak to the investigators.

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