Food and beverage giant Nestle told the IAAF Wednesday that it terminated its sponsorship of athletics' governing body over fears the doping scandal could damage the company's image. The announcement came while Adidas remains in talks with the IAAF about its handling of the corruption scandal amid reports the sportswear giant was considering ending its sponsorship. The IAAF, under Sebastian Coe's new leadership, is fighting attempts by sponsors to cut their contracts early. "This decision was taken in light of negative publicity associated with allegations of corruption and doping in sport made against the IAAF," Nestle said in a statement. "We believe this could negatively impact our reputation and image and will therefore terminate our existing agreement with the IAAF, established in 2012." Coe hit back at Nestle's move to terminate its sponsorship, insisting he will not accept the decision. In 2012 Nestle became the main sponsor of a program aimed at promoting athletics for youths worldwide. It was reported to be worth $1 million a year. "Angered and dismayed by today's kids' athletics announcement. We will not accept it. It's the kids who will suffer," said Coe in a brief statement. "I confirm that we have decided to end our partnership with the IAAF Kids Athletics program with immediate effect," Nestle spokeswoman Lydia Meziani said. The IAAF is facing crises on multiple fronts, including widespread allegations of corruption and bribery under disgraced former boss Lamine Diack. Before Coe's tough-talking reaction to Nestle's decision, the world body had been keen to stress the benefits of its partnership with Nestle. "The IAAF is in discussion with Nestle concerning the final year of its five-year partnership with IAAF Kids' Athletics," said the IAAF in a statement. "This has been a successful program with 15 million kids aged seven to 12 years in 76 countries taking part in fun team activities which promotes a healthy, active lifestyle. "In 2016 IAAF Kids' Athletics plans to reach a further 15 countries, training 360 lecturers, instructing 8,640 physical education teachers, with three million children participating by the end of the activation." Separately, Coe has faced criticism following Russia's ban from the sport for what a commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) described as "state-sponsored" doping. WADA's report claimed that the IAAF governing council must have known about corruption orchestrated by Diack, and about doping in Russia. A World Anti-Doping Agency investigation found there was deeply rooted corruption on the inside by a "powerful rogue group" led by Diack, and they conspired to extort athletes and allow doping Russians to continue competing. WADA ‘extremely troubled' by Kenyan bribery claims The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Wednesday it was ‘extremely troubled' by reports claiming banned Kenyan athletes were asked for money to reduce their doping suspensions. Athletes Joy Sakari and Francisca Koki Manunga told the Associated Press that federation CEO Isaac Mwangi asked each for $24,000 to reduce the four-year bans they were given after testing positive at last year's world championships in Beijing. Mwangi dismissed the claims as a "fabrication." "WADA is most disturbed by these reports regarding extortion and bribery at the national level of sport," WADA Director General David Howman said in a statement. He said they were "eerily similar sounding" to what had been learned through a recent independent commission investigation into widespread doping in international athletics. "WADA will of course require more detailed information on these allegations from those concerned so that we can determine if this is a matter for us to investigate or for the (IAAF) ethics commission as part of its own enquiries," Howman said of the latest claims. "The allegations we have heard this week also illustrate the importance of having a robust, independent national anti-doping organization fully functional in Kenya at the earliest opportunity," he added.
