Paula Radcliffe cleared of blood doping by IAAF

Radcliffe was left furious back in September, alleging that a Culture, Media and Sport Committee hearing regarding a series of media articles on doping in sport had "effectively implicated" her.

The hearing came after The Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD obtained a leaked IAAF database that contained more than 12,000 blood tests from approximately 5,000 athletes from 2001 to 2012.

Radcliffe, who has recorded three abnormal blood count readings in her career, made her blood data public to try to clear her name " and the IAAF has come out in support of the 2005 World marathon champion.

The IAAF's backing came in a detailed response to claims it has "idly sat by" and tolerated rampant blood doping in athletics.

The governing body will appear before the United Kingdom Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee's inquiry into 'Blood Doping in Athletics' next week.

Stating that no charge could be brought using data from 2009, the IAAF said: "Paula Radcliffe's case illustrates the point perfectly. She has been publicly accused of blood doping based on the gross misinterpretation of raw and incomplete data.

"When all of the necessary information is considered, however (as the WADA ABP [Athlete Biological Passport protocols] require), there are clearly plausible explanations for the values in her profile that are entirely innocent.

"For example, in two of the cases highlighted by The Sunday Times, the samples were collected immediately after competition (when dehydration causes a decrease in plasma concentration, and so an increase in reported haemoglobin concentration, even though there has been no increase in red blood cells).

"Any competent scientist would therefore immediately conclude that they should be disregarded.

"Furthermore, the IAAF followed up by testing Ms Radcliffe's urine samples for rEPO, and her blood samples for evidence of blood transfusions, and all of those tests came back negative."

Reacting to the news, Radcliffe told Sky News: "It shouldn't have had to come to this and I am still waiting for WADA to come out with their report. I'm glad the IAAF have been able to put it all down in writing. It's important to me, it's very important."

In the response, the IAAF insisted it had been a "pioneer in the war against blood doping in sport", claiming to have screened 8000 blood samples prior to the introduction of the ABP and then creating ABP profiles for more than 5,500 athletes.

Asserting its fundamental disagreement with the apparent stance of ARD and The Sunday Times that abnormal blood values found from 2001-09 were "compelling evidence" of blood doping, the IAAF referenced the chair of WADA's independent commission Dick Pound, who has also stated it would be "reckless, if not libellous" to claim data prior to the introduction of the ABP to be proof of blood doping.