Athletics-Three officials appeal against life bans

LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Former Russian Athletics boss Valentin Balakhnichev, former Russian coach Alexei Melnikov and former IAAF consultant Papa Massata Diack have appealed against their life bans from the sport, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said on Monday. The trio were among a number of athletes and officials banned from any involvement in athletics after a World Anti-Doping Agency report exposed the corrupt rule of former IAAF president Lamine Diack, the father of Papa Massata. The report said that Diack senior, who hails from Senegal, ran a clique at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that covered up organised doping and blackmailed athletes while senior officials looked the other way. An earlier report led to Russia being banned from competition for state-sponsored doping. The three officials, as well as Lamine Diack, deny any wrongdoing. (Reporting by Pritha Sarkar; Editing by Alison Williams)