Emails have been published appearing to confirm that world athletics boss Sebastian Coe knew of corruption allegations four months before they were made public.
An email from August 2014 shows the current International Association of Athletics Federations president saying that he had been informed about "serious allegations" involving Russian athlete Liliya Shobukhova.
Coe had told a Department of Culture, Media and Sport committee that he only knew of claims after a German documentary was broadcast in December 2014.
He denies misleading the DCMS panel.
The email to Michael Beloff QC, dated August 14th 2014 was published by the UK's Culture, Media and Sport committee. It reads: "I have in the last couple of days received copied documentation of serious allegations being made by and on behalf of the Russian female athlete Shobukhova from David Bedford. I have spoken to David today on the phone and he advises me that he has shared this information with you. Should I forward this documentation to you? The purpose of this note is of course to advise you that I have now been made aware of the allegations."
In a letter to MP Damian Collins of the Culture, Media and Sport committee on January 26th 2017, Coe concluded: "I was not asked by your Committee when I first knew about the allegations that persons at the IAAF were involved in the cover-up of Russian doping cases, and I have made clear that I did not read David Bedford's emailed documents but asked my office to forward them to the person and Commission with exclusive authority to investigate, in accordance with my obligations under the IAAF Ethics Code in force."
Coe, who won two Olympic golds and two silvers at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic games, was elected IAAF president in August 2015, replacing predecessor Lamine Diack in the role.
The 58-year-old beat rival Sergey Bubka by 115 votes to 92 at the IAAF Congress in Beijing.
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