World athletics’ governing body (IAAF) has suppressed a 2011 survey that reveals that up to a third of the world’s top competitors admitted using banned performance-enhancing techniques, Britain’s Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD/WDR reported yesterday.

The authors of the study, which had interviews with 1,800 athletes at the 2011 World Championships in South Korea, were told to sign a confidentiality agreement a month after the information had been collected and analysed, the newspaper said.

The revelations are the latest in a series of damaging blows for the sport in the countdown to the start of this year’s World Championships in Beijing next Saturday.

Earlier this month, investigations by ARD and the Sunday Times prompted claims that more than 800 athletes tested between 2001 and 2012 had suspicious test results that were not followed up by the IAAF.

The IAAF has since initiated disciplinary action against 28 athletes after retesting samples from the 2005 and 2007 World Championships with new technology that can uncover previously undetectable substances.

The organisation came under heavy fire from the authors of the 2011 study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Tuebingen in Germany and leaked to The Sunday Times and ARD/WDR.

“The IAAF’s delaying publication for so long and without good reason is a serious encroachment on the freedom of publication,” a statement from the researchers said yesterday.

The statement added that the IAAF had not commissioned the survey but had used its influence to suppress the findings in the survey.

Reacting to the latest accusations in a statement, the IAAF said it “had never vetoed” publication of the survey and understood it had twice been rejected for publication in a scientific journal.

It also questioned the validity of the research.

“The IAAF does however have serious reservations as to the interpretation of the results made by the research group as confirmed by high-profile experts in social science who reviewed the publication on our request,” it said.

“The IAAF submitted those concerns to the research group but has never heard back from them.

“The IAAF is surprised that any professional team of social science researchers should choose consistently to leak research material through the media before it is published,” adding it was continuing its own study, started in 2011, for publication in coordination with WADA.

The results of the leaked study showed that 29-34 per cent of the 1,800 competitors at the championships had violated anti-doping rules in the previous 12 months.

“These findings demonstrate that doping is remarkably widespread among elite athletes and remains largely unchecked des-pite current biological testing program-mes,” the study said.

The study was financed by WADA, which told the newspaper last week that they had given the IAAF the power to veto publication in return for allowing access to the athletes at the 2011 championships.

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