IAAF chief Sebastian Coe said he had given the Russian athletics federation until the end of the week to respond to a report into allegations of widespread doping in the country that could lead to their suspension from the Olympic Games.
The independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Monday recommended banning Russia from the sport as a result of systemic failures that "prevented or diminished the possibility of an effective anti-doping programme".
"I will seek an explanation for the allegations and the (IAAF) Council will then make a judgement," Coe told journalists.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it trusts Coe to act on the explosive conclusions of a report into doping and corruption in Russia.
The IOC described Monday's report from the World Anti-Doping Agency's independent commission as "deeply shocking and very saddening for the world of sport".
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"The IOC trusts that the new leadership of the IAAF with its President Sebastian Coe will draw all the necessary conclusions and will take all the necessary measures," the IOC statement read.
"In this context the IOC welcomes the clear commitment expressed by IAAF to do "whatever it takes to protect the clean athletes and rebuild trust in our sport".
The WADA report called for Russian athletes to be banned from all competition, including the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
It outlined evidence of of systematic cheating, with the awareness and consent of the authorities in Moscow, and noted that drug tests for athletes were conducted at a Russian laboratory which lacked total credibility.
