In 2012, an internal IAAF brief estimated that 42 percent of "tested Russian elite athletes" were doping. The letters also point to a scheme to minimize the damage, by doling out punishment to lesser-known Russian athletes behind-the-scenes. It was determined that this arrangement could not be made for the high profile athletes because people would be suspicious when the best athletes all stopped appearing in competitions due to secret suspensions. When the IAAF unrolled it's new biological passport program in 2011, so many Russian athletes were getting flagged that the organization discussed a similar two-pronged approach, separating elites from non-elites, while working "in close collaboration" with the Russian federation.According to the IAAF, which verified the authenticity of the AP's documents, those policies were never put in place, and are not really untoward, anyway."This matter of the Russian athletes' blood levels is now so serious and is not getting any better (in fact possibly getting worse) that immediate and drastic action is needed," Pierre Weiss, then the IAAF general secretary, wrote in an Oct. 14, 2009, hand-delivered letter to Valentin Balakhnichev, the Russian athletics president banned last week for life from the sport. "Not only are these athletes cheating their fellow competitors but at these levels are putting their health and even their own lives in very serious danger," Weiss wrote, telling Balakhnichev that blood results from Russian athletes "recorded some of the highest values ever seen since the IAAF started testing."
That still doesn't explain why the IAAF acted so shocked a few months ago, but it's clear the IAAF could not and did not throw its weight around. Among the more ridiculous bits of correspondence between the sports governing body and a federation that was a known offender is an exchange regarding athletes avoiding tests before the 2009 World Championships. Apparently Russian athletes informed the IAAF that they were unable to appear for tests because they were serving in the military and couldn't disclose their locations. IAAF's chosen recourse was a letter: "These difficulties … effectively prevent the IAAF from conducting sufficient testing on Russian elite athletes compared to other major nations."[Associated Press]Blood passport cases take 8-18 months on average from investigation to sanction, he said, adding: "There was a need to prioritize, and in particular to expedite those cases which involved potential medal winners ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games. No cases were concealed or suppressed, the IAAF simply tackled them in order of importance."