Athletics: IAAF slams the media

PRIMO NEBIOLO, the head of the International Amateur Athletic Federation, has spoken out against the international media for its "irresponsible" reports surrounding the death of Florence Griffith Joyner.

A United States pathologist said on Thursday that the triple gold medallist from the 1988 Olympics, who died last month aged 38, had suffocated during an epileptic seizure in her sleep and there was no indication she had ever used steroids.

"This report ensures that Florence Griffith Joyner will be able to rest in peace," Nebiolo said in a statement. "Her family have had to endure irresponsible media reports that have sought to tarnish her reputation, without any real proof.

"These campaigns of misinformation serve not only to damage individual athletes and our sport as a whole, but also have a negative impact on the multi-million dollar anti-doping campaign to which the IAAF has been committed for many years."