The IAAF Says Recent Doping Allegations Are ‘False’ and ‘Disappointing’

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has expressly denied many of the recent doping allegations published in a report by the Sunday Times and German public broadcaster ARD. In a statement released on Tuesday, the global athletics governing body accused the news organizations of producing “false, disappointing and misinformed journalism.”

The Times and ARD stories published on Sunday allege that many athletes who won medals and recognition at international events since 2001, including the Olympic Games, had suspicious test results but went unsanctioned by the IAAF.

The organization says it has followed all prescribed rules and regulations as implemented by the World Anti-Doping Agency and that it has conducted over 19,000 blood-screening tests since 2001, claiming that it always followed up on abnormal test results.

The IAAF does admit, however, that the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), considered the most recent and sophisticated anti-doping method due to it’s prolonged monitoring of biological indicators, did not exist at the time when much of its data was gathered. This, the IAAF says, could have hindered some of the efforts to adequately determine whether athletes were, in fact, cheating. But it emphasizes that “Suspicion alone does not equal proof of doping.”

Read the IAAF’s full statement here.