Runner World's Sarah Lorge Butler is reporting that FBI agents "recently interviewed a high-ranking official within USATF, who has knowledge of the organization’s finances, outside his home" and that a grand jury subpoena has been served. Remember, USATF under head Max Siegel paid two ex-Nike employees more than $20 million to negotiate a no-bid 20+year endorsement deal with Nike.
*Ex-board member Lauren Fleshman welcome federal probe of USATF and asks if Siegel will step down “Is there a plan to suspend Max Siegel while this investigation is going on? [If they don’t], it’s quite a double standard," said Fleshman who noted Vin Lananna had to step down when he was being investigated.
*MB: Nike-USATF-Siegel Subject of a Federal Criminal Investigation

• Seriously? 2022 Kansas Relays Cancelled Due To COVID The official statement says "postponed." If you have an annual event and aren't holding it for another year, then it's cancelled, not postponed.
• China Claims New COVID Variant Won't Force Beijing 2022 Postponement
• 2021 Beijing Marathon Cancelled Due To COVID It was initially scheduled for October 31st and then postponed and now officially cancelled.
• Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Says Omicron Variant Is A "Concern," But Remain Confident About Still Having Crowds
• Winter World University Games Cancelled Due To COVID Variant

• Moroccan 2012 800m Olympian Halima Hachlaf Banned For 6-Years For Second Doping Offense She tested positive for a synthetic steroid hormone in January and previously served a 4-year ban for suspected blood doping.
• Dick Pound Given WADA "Founding President" Title For Contribution To Anti-Doping Pound helped establish WADA in 1999 and lead it from 1999 to 2007.
• The World Athletics Council Hearing Update On Russian Athletics Federation Progress RusAF has been banned since 2015, but is hoping to be restored to full status in 2022.

• UK Pole Vault Record Holder And Tokyo Bronze Medalist Holly Bradshaw To Star In Golden Fly Event In Thailand On Saturday
• Mondo Duplantis Announced For The Muller Indoor Grand Prix In Birmingham On February 19 Olympic 800m silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson has also been announced for the meet.
• Mondo Duplantis Announced For Sweden Meet On February 9
• Long jumpers Miltiadis Tentoglou And Ivana Vuleta Named Balkan Athletes Of The Year Tentoglou won Olympic gold in Tokyo while Vuelta (better known as Ivana Spanovic, her maiden name) was 4th.

Conner Mantz is not resting on his NCAA xc title laurels. He appeared on the LRC Friday 15 SC podcast and not only revealed he may do this weekend's USATF Half Marathon champs, but that he may try and break Ryan Hall's 59:43 American record.
Discuss: Conner Mantz may try and break Ryan Hall's American record in the half marathon THIS weekend

Congrats to Gavin Sherry for breaking Donn Cabral's VCP course record to win the NE and to Sahil Dodda, from the alma mater of the Brojos, who got second in the South. *Dyestat

• Olympic Steeplechasers John Gay And Geneviève Lalonde Win Canadian XC Titles
• Spain’s Abdessamad Oukhelfen and Eritrea’s Dolshi Tesfu Win At Alcobendas, Spain XC Meet
• Jess Judd And Jack Rowe Win GB Euro XC Trials Rowe beat out Olympic 5000m runner Andrew Butchart by 11-seconds.
• Switzerland’s Jonas Raess And Sweden’s Meraf Bahta Win Warandecross XC Race In Tilburg, Netherland
  

Orton and Mantz joined the LRC crew for a special edition of the Friday 15 LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast. Listen in player above or here on your favorite podcast app.