World athletics chief Lamine Diack said on Monday that a campaign to redistribute medals was behind new media reports alleging widespread doping abuse in the sport.

Diack told the International Olympic Committee that the International Association of Athletics Federations would answer the allegations made by German television channel ARD and British newspaper the Sunday Times.

"Behind all this there is a desire to redistribute medals," Diack, who will stand down as IAAF president this month, told IOC members.