The IAAF said it "fully acknowledges and accepts the extreme gravity" of the findings of the WADA independent commission after athletics' world governing body was hammered for weak governance that allowed widespread corruption.
The International Athletics Federation (IAAF) said in a statement that the weakness of its governance "had allowed individuals at the head of the previous regime to delay the following of normal procedures in certain doping cases".
It said that the commission's recommendations, in the report carried out by former WADA chief Dick Pound, to strengthen governance would be incorporated "into the root and branch review which was begun by IAAF President Sebastian Coe immediately he came into office".
The WADA commission exposed the corrupt regime of former president Lamine Diack and said knowledge of it must have been widespread among senior figures of the Monaco-based federation.
Coe accepted that the organisation's Council, of which he was a long-standing member, should have been aware of the corruption and told Reuters he would introduce reforms to ensure there would be no repeat.
"I will put systems in place for the current council and so that my successor is never in a position that we don't understand the nature of the day-to-day running of the organisation," Coe said after Pound had said he felt the Briton was the right man to lead the IAAF.
"We cannot change the past, but I am determined that we will learn from it and will not repeat its mistakes," he added.
American track and field (USATF) President and IAAF Council member Stephanie Hightower said she was "disturbed" by the report but also gave backing to Coe.
"I agree with Mr Pound that President Sebastian Coe is the person to lead the sport into a new era and put these types of allegations in our past, not our future," said Hightower.
"It has been clear, since allegations first started to be made public, that the governance of the IAAF must change to become more transparent in order to ensure accountability and credibility."
Former Russian athletics chief Valentin Balakhnichev, who was heavily criticised in the report and was banned for life for corruption and blackmail last week, gave the report little credence.
"I have no hope of receiving a fair decision or any serious proof from WADA or the IAAF ethics committee," Balakhnichev was quoted as saying by R-Sport news agency.
"I am disappointed in these people who cannot prove anything."
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko also told R-Sport: "This document is mainly about corruption in the IAAF, it does not particularly concern Russia.
"Accusations against Balakhnichev are not a problem for Russia, they are a problem for the IAAF. We cannot interfere in the activities of an international federation."
Russia remains suspended from international athletics following the revelations of the first part of the WADA commission report in November.
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