article main image
Basketball: McLaren to head up international basketball integrity unitBy Reuters

(Reuters) - Canadian law professor Richard McLaren, who wrote a report into state-sponsored doping in Russia for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), was appointed Integrity Officer for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) on Wednesday.

"I am delighted to be working with FIBA. I congratulate FIBA’s leadership for their commitment to ensuring the integrity of the sport," McLaren said in a statement.

"I am confident that this new partnership will help FIBA navigate through any ethical challenge that may arise to ensure that spectators, players and coaches continue to have the utmost trust in the game," he added.

McLaren, whose 2016 report for WADA outlined evidence of massive state-backed, systematic doping in Russian athletics, is also currently leading an investigation into allegations of corruption within the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).

(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto. Editing by Ed Osmond)