IAAF blocked a study that revealed about a third of the world’s top athletes admitted violating anti-doping rules.

Another sports body is accused of wrongdoings as recently FIFA made headlines over the corruption scandal. The authors of the study have said the athletics governing body blocked the publication to protect the culprits. A leaked copy of the complete survey has been seen by Britain’s Sunday Times and the German broadcaster ARD/ WDR.

The study financed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and conducted by the University of Tubingen in Germany in the year 2011, but it is not yet published and its authors are also prevented to speak about it in public by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Researchers collected the data from athletes who participated at the world championships in Daegu, South Korea. According to reports the survey revealed that about 30 % of the 1,800 competitors confessed using banned performance-enhancing methods in the past 12 months. The experts were asked to sign a confidentiality document a month after gathering the vital information in order to halt them from speaking out the elite athletes’ wrongdoings.

“These findings demonstrate that doping is remarkably widespread among elite athletes and remains largely unchecked despite current biological testing programs,” the researchers concluded. “The IAAF’s delaying publication for so long without good reason is a serious encroachment on the freedom of publication,” said Dr. Rolf Ulrich, lead author of the study.

IAAF official responded: “Discusions are ongoing with the research team and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regarding the publication of the study.” These shocking revelations are damaging for the sport as the stage is set for this year’s world championships in Beijing, which will be held on August 22. IMAGE/bangkokpost