Beloff, who has sat in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) since 1996 and is widely regarded as one of the world's most eminent experts in doping law, is one of seven appointees who, for a four-year term, will supervise the IAAF Code of Ethics, which came into force on January 1 following approval at Congress in Moscow last year.

He will be joined by International Olympic Committee honorary members Kevin Gosper of Australia and Carlos Nuzman of Brazil, who leads the Organising Committee for the 2016 Olympics in Rio; Akira Kawamira of Japan; Thomas Murray of the United States; Lauri Tarasti of Finland and Tafsir Malick NDiaye of Senegal.

"The IAAF's adoption of a new Code of Ethics and the appointment of an Ethics Commission are a clear statement of our determination to defend the reputation and credibility of Athletics," said IAAF President Lamine Diack.

"The independence of the Commission, which is composed of seven renowned and respected members, and the powers and sanctions available to it are clearly defined by the Code. 

They signify that corruption will not be tolerated in any form, or at any level, within the global athletics family."

IAAF President Lamine Diack has welcomed the appointment of the seven-strong Ethics Commission ©Getty Images

Beloff also wrote the legal opinion for the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), asserting that the British Olympic Association's (BOA) bylaw preventing British doping offenders from competing at any future Olympics was illegal because it amounted to an additional punishment over and above the sanctions laid down by the WADA code, to which the BOA is a signatory.

That argument proved persuasive ahead of the London 2012 Olympics, at which British competitors who had served doping bans, such as Chambers and cyclist David Millar, were cleared to return to the Olympic fold.

Beloff has been chairman of the International Cricket Council's Code of Conduct Commission since 2002, and defended Pakistan trio Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer and Salman Butt in the spot betting trial in 2011.

"I am honoured to share with so distinguished a group responsibility for ensuring that the premier Olympic sport maintains the highest standards of probity in all its activities and so commands the confidence of all who love athletics," said Beloff.

Gosper, an Olympic 4x400 metres silver medallist for Australia at the 1956 Melbourne Games, is a former vice-president of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and was vice-president of the Organising Committee for the Sydney Games.

He has also served two terms as a vice president for the IOC.

Kawamira is a corporate auditor and board member of a number of Japanese companies and an expert in international law.

Nuzman, a member of the Brazilian volleyball team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, is President of the Brazilian National Olympic Committee and a member of the CAS.

He led the successful Rio bid team for the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics, and is now head of their Organising Committee.

Carlos Nuzman, head of the Rio 2016 Games Organising Committee, is among the seven members named to the IAAF Ethics Commission ©Getty Images

Taurasti, a former Justice at the Supreme Adminstrative Court of Finland, is one of the leading juridical doping experts in the world, and contributed to the discussions which led to the formation of the WADA.

Murray is a former President of Society for Health and Human Values, and of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities.

Ndiaye is a former United Nations consultant who has written books on international and constitutional law.

The preamble to the IAAF Code of Ethics states: "It is an object of the IAAF to safeguard the authenticity and integrity of Athletics and to take all possible measures to eliminate corrupt conduct which might place the authenticity, integrity and reputation of athletics at risk."

The IAAF Ethics Commission is an independent judicial body established by the Congress in accordance with Article 5.7 of the IAAF Constitution.

Composed of seven members appointed by the IAAF Council, three of these members are individuals with a legal background and who also have a significant involvement with sports.

Members of the Commission cannot be current members of the IAAF Council nor belong to any other IAAF body.

They may be appointed for a maximum of two terms of four years.

A panel of the Commission consisting of at least three members appointed by the chairman shall conduct hearings to adjudicate on proceedings before it.

In exceptional cases, a panel of more than three members may be appointed (either five or seven members).

Commission hearings shall be confidential, with only the decision of the panel being made public.

The extensive powers of the Commission, which are set out in full in the Code, include its authority to appoint an independent investigator to investigate alleged violations of the Code, to adjudicate whether violations of the Code have been committed (other than violations of the Anti-Doping Rules) and to impose sanctions.

Amongst the sanctions at the disposal of the Commission are the authority to caution or censure, to issue fines, to suspend the person (with or without conditions) or expel the person from office, to suspend or ban the person from taking part in any athletics related activity and to remove any award or other honour bestowed on the person by the IAAF.

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