ATHLETICS world governing body IAAF needs a period of “hyper transparency” because the public has lost faith in the idea that athletes are competing cleanly, an expert told MPs yesterday.

Dr Michael Ashenden helped produce a controversial analysis which suggested the IAAF turned a blind eye to hundreds of suspicious blood tests.

He told the culture, media and sport select committee: “Unfortunately I think the IAAF has lost the trust of the public … there needs to be a period of hyper-transparency” to get the sport back to where it should be.

The committee is exploring allegations that the IAAF failed to follow up results from some prominent athletes.

Ashenden suggested the publication of anonymous blood scores could help reassure the public that the problem is being tackled.

He said cycling governing body UCI, with its own doping problems, had been quicker to react.

Ashenden told the MPs the IAAF was “simply overwhelmed” by the scale of the problem.

“At least the UCI had something in place. Contrast that with the IAAF — they could see from 2001 there was a problem. There was a horrific problem in 2005 but they did nothing about it until 2009, but they did not introduce anything to put a lid on this problem,” he said.

The hearing was set up after claims by German broadcaster ARD and the Sunday Times.

The Sunday Times said it had gained access to a database containing more than 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 athletes, and that more than 800 individuals — and a third of medallists in endurance events at Olympics and World Championships between 2001 and 2012 — had suspicious blood test results which were not followed up by the IAAF.

Ashenden said the IAAF had a “did-not-want-to-know” attitude about doping, including suggestions about underage Kenyan athletes.

He also alleged that there is “some level of systematic doping in Russian athletes” but could not give an explanation for this.

Sebastian Coe, recently elected IAAF president, branded Ashenden’s allegations a “declaration of war” on athletics, claiming that cheats had been weeded out despite “intense embarrassment” to the sport.

He pointed to out-of-competition testing, accredited laboratories, arbitration panels and the introduction of blood passports in 2009.

Ashenden described Coe’s comments as “extreme.”

“It is ironic (the IAAF) accuse the Sunday Times of being sensationalist yet they call it a declaration of war. I think they would regret that statement.”

He said it sounded like the IAAF were “being advised by a PR crisis management group” and it “was not a meaningful” response.

The World Anti-Doping Agency has said it will begin an “urgent” investigation.