Coe visited Moscow’s IAAF Regional Development Centre before meeting the country’s national team coaches at the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) headquarters, where he addressed the All Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) annual congress.

Last month, Britain's double Olympic 1500 metres gold medallist revealed he is in the process of creating a new integrity unit to help athletics fight the doping crisis it currently finds itself in.

It follows widespread allegations made by British newspaper The Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD of drug-taking among some of athletics' best-known names.

The investigation has particularly implicated Russia and in February, ARAF President Valentin Balakhnichev resigned after a number of doping scandals.

This included a German television programme in December accusing him of being involved in a systematic doping system which claimed that up to 99 per cent of Russian athletes used illegal drugs.

Russian athletes to have been banned include Olympic 3,000 metres steeplechase gold medallist Yulia Zaripova and 2011 world heptathlon champion Tatyana Chernova. 

In addition, 25 leading walkers from the country have been banned in recent years, including Olympic gold medallists Sergey Kirdyapkin, Olga Kaniskina and Valery Borchin.

Others banned in January of this year included Sergei Bakulin, the 2011 world 50 kilometres champion, and 2011 world 20km silver medallist Vladimir Kanaykin, who is banned for life.

More recently, reigning European champion Elmira Alembekova was one of six Russian race-walkers to be suspended in September for failing doping tests, meaning virtually all members of the country's race walking squad have now been implemented. 

But speaking in Russia’s capital, where he met with Russian athletes, coaches and officials, Coe spoke of his appreciation for their "openness" and "passion" for athletics and "noted a real appetite for change".

"I also felt a very strong support for our plans to modernise athletics," added Coe on what he described as a "very productive" two-day visit.

"I expressed my uncompromising position on the issue of doping in athletics and the importance for the sport to build trust and defend clean athletes at all times."

Coe used the visit to meet with Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko and Alexander Zhukov, President of the ROC and an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, and also presented awards at the first-ever ARAF Gala.

He was hosted by IAAF Council member Mikhail Butov and new ARAF President Vadim Zelichenok during the trip.

In October, Coe began to roll out one of his other key election manifesto pledges when he announced the full details of the $22 million (£14 million/€20 million) Olympic Athletics Dividend.

The scheme offers $100,000 (£65,000/€91,000) over four years to all 215 members of the IAAF to help them fund development programmes.

The proposal by Coe to distribute half of the money that the IAAF receives from the IOC was seen as a key factor in the Briton's successful campaign to succeed Lamine Diack as President, beating Ukraine's former pole vault world record holder Sergey Bubka at the election in Beijing in August. 



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