Valentin Maslakov, one of Russia’s top track & field coaches announced his resignation Friday amid a World Anti-Doping Agency investigation into the Russian federation. 

 

Masalakov had overseen the training of all Russian national team athletes since 2007 in a coaching career that spanned over 40 years. A former sprinter who competed at the 1968 Olympics, Masalakov spent recent years organizing the work of coaches in different event groups and acting as a figurehead for the national team at major championships. 

 

“We spoke with him for a long time on this topic,” head of the Russian athletics federation Valentin Balaknickev said, according to the R-Sport agency. “He didn’t take the decision to resign on his own, obviously. He consulted us. But you have to understand that in a public organization, everyone shares responsibility. He took a dignified decision.”

 

Masalakov’s resignation comes in the midst of an investigation into claims of systematic drug use and cover-ups and three days after Russian race-walkers, including three Olympic champions, received doping bans. 

 

According to R-Sport, Balakhnichev said he was considering resigning, but would only do so once the doping scandals were resolved and he had managed to “reform” the national team. 

 

He also stepped down last month as treasurer of the International Association of Athletics Federation pending its own investigation into claims of organized doping in Russia.