Athletics' world governing body came under renewed fire on Tuesday with disclosures that top officials were aware of a serious doping problem among Russian athletes as early as 2009 and appeared to work with the country's federation to minimise publicity.
The Associated Press published a copy of a letter from Pierre Weiss, then general secretary of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), to Valentin Balakhnichev, the former Russian athletics president, who last week was banned for life.
Dated October 14, 2009, Weiss' letter described results of blood tests taken at that year's world titles in Berlin and the world half-marathon championships in Birmingham, England.
"Unfortunately, I do not have good news regarding the blood parameter levels of the Russian athletes in Berlin. Again they were extremely high, and again much more so than any other country competing."
Referring to blood levels of Russian athletes in Birmingham, Weiss said two athletes "recorded some of the highest values ever seen since the IAAF started testing".
"Not only are these athletes cheating their fellow competitors but, at these levels, are putting their health and even their own lives in very serious danger."
In response, the IAAF told Reuters the letters did not show any evidence of wrongdoing and that it followed correct procedures in all cases mentioned.
Abnormal blood levels are not enough for an athlete to be punished for a doping offence but are widely seen as indicating possible performance-enhancing drug use.
Athletics was plunged into crisis late last year after an initial World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report detailed systematic, state-sponsored doping and related corruption in Russia.
Russian athletes were subsequently banned indefinitely by the IAAF.
Weiss told Balakhnichev the results from Berlin strongly suggested "a systematic abuse of blood doping or EPO-related products", AP said.
He added if there had been "no start" rules at the world championships for athletes with abnormal blood readings, seven Russian competitors and two gold medallists would have been prevented from competing.
The notes also proposed by-the-book sanctions for the best-known elite athletes likely to win medals at the London Games, but "rapid and discreet" handling of second-tier cases, working "in close collaboration" with the Russian athletics federation, for less well-known athletes whose sudden and unexplained disappearance from competition would likely pass unnoticed.
The IAAF responded to the claims, saying every suspicious Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) profile was investigated fully and nothing was covered up.
"In 2011, there was a huge influx of suspicious profiles coming through the ABP," the IAAF told Reuters, adding that as each case could take up to 18 months to process ... No cases were concealed or suppressed - the IAAF simply tackled them in order of importance.
"Every athlete was investigated and has either been sanctioned or is currently going through a legal process as part of being sanctioned."
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