The Swede admitted he believed that the authorities were winning the war against doping cheats but felt "shocked" when reading the latest allegations this morning.

He believes only "stupid" athletes get caught at championships and better targeted out-or-competition testing must be pursued.

This follows the leaking of International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) data to German TV station ARD and the Sunday Times in London, showing the results of 12,359 blood tests given by more than 5,000 athletes over an 11-year period starting in 2001.

More than 800 athletes had given blood samples that were "highly suggestive" of doping or "abnormal", it was reported, with a third of medals in endurance events at the Olympics and World Championships over the period, including the London 2012 Olympic Games, won by athletes who submitted such samples.

None of these medals, including 55 golds, have been taken away, with anti-doping experts who studied the database concluding how athletics is in the same “diabolical state” as cycling in the era of Lance Armstrong.

The documents allegedly show that 80 per cent of medals won by Russian athletes with suspicious blood values, while Kenya had 18 medals won by runners who may have been engaging in illegal methods. 

A top British athlete is among seven Britons with suspicious blood scores.

Scientist Robin Parisotto told the Sunday Times he had "never seen such an alarmingly abnormal set of blood values", adding: "So many athletes appear to have doped with impunity, and it is damning that the IAAF appears to have idly sat by and let this happen".

This follows a tumultuous period of doping allegations, which included allegations of "systematic doping" among Russian athletes as well as a BBC documentary last month accusing American coach Alberto Salazar of doping athletes he trains.

Salazar's most famous charge, the double Olympic champion Mo Farah, is not on the list to emerge today, it has been confirmed.

The IAAF reportedly took legal action to try to prevent ARD and The Sunday Times making their allegations public but dropped the action on Friday (July 31). 

The list contains mainly endurance runners but also reportedly contains a number of athletes from other disciplines, including Russia's Tatyana Chernova, winner of the heptathlon at the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu.

Chernova was subsequently banned for two years and stripped of her results for the period August 15 2009 until August 14 2011 after samples from the 2009 World Championships in Berlin were re-tested.

She was allowed, though, to keep the medal she won in Daegu. 

Six-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt was not among the athletes on the list. 

Speaking here during the IOC Session, Holm, who also won four World Indoor Championship titles before retiring in 2008, told insidethegames the allegations are "not good" for track and field or any other sport, especially now just before the World Championships in Beijing".

Holm told insidethegames: "I’ve always thought that track and field were in front of the dopers, but I have to say, this doesn’t seem very good for track and field.

“I’m quite shocked actually, this is not good at all.

“I think we need to test the right athletes for the right reasons.

"You have to go in there and test them, focus on those you are suspicious about.

"We must look at each and every athlete who is suspicious, targeting those who don’t compete much and then turn up to the big competitions and get great results."

"You’re stupid if you’re trying to cheat at the World Championships so we must improve testing outside of these events, when they are training."

Neither IAAF President Lamine Diack nor former World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) head Richard Pound, who are also here, claimed to know anything about the reports when asked this morning.

Current WADA President Sir Craig Reedie promised he would provide a reaction later today.

Related stories
July 2015: Mo Farah cleared of any wrongdoing by UK Athletics over links with coach Salazar
June 2015: Alan Hubbard: Do the public even care if athletes have taken drugs or not?
June 2015: Mo Farah's coach Alberto Salazar and training partner Rupp accused of doping
January 2015: Lawsuits to be filed against German TV station after "systematic doping" in Russian athletics accusation
December 2014: WADA to investigate allegations of Russian systematic doping after German TV documentary