Doping claims as damaging as Johnson and Jones cases - Coe

Sebastian Coe, chairman of the organising committee for the London Olympics speaks at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, central England October 10, 2012. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) - Allegations of widespread doping and cover-ups in athletics are as damaging as the cases involving Ben Johnson and Marion Jones, according to International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) vice-president Sebastian Coe.

This month German broadcaster ARD made claims of systematic doping in Russia and also alleged that the IAAF covered up or did not investigate a number of positive blood tests or blood-level anomalies from athletes from various nations.