LONDON, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The annual awards ceremony of the IAAF, world's athletics governing body, has been cancelled because of investigations into their former president Lamine Diack.
Sebastian Coe, who was elected IAAF president to replace Diack in August, was quoted by BBC as saying: "This is not the time for the athletics family to be gathering in celebration of our sport."
The World Athletics Gala was scheduled for Saturday, 28 November in Monaco. The male and female athletes of the year will now be announced online.
Coe added: "We will rightly still honour the outstanding achievements of the sport's athletes.
"Therefore the athlete of the year and other annual honours will still be awarded and will be promoted and announced on the internet and social media.
"The IAAF will seek a suitable occasion in the future for the presentation of these awards to be made to the winners."