A wave of allegations of systemic doping among Russian athletes and new claims that link the sport’s governing body to covering up the problem have led Lord Coe, would-be president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, to admit it is a “very, very difficult time” for the sport.

Coe, already a vice-president, said he was confident the recently formed ethics committee would deal with the claims and confirmed its ruling council could theoretically suspend Russia if they were proved.

“We do have a category, a status which we refer to as in good standing. A good standing is not just about paying your subs on time or being free from political interference,” he said. “We have had suspensions in federations for all sorts of reasons because, for one reason or another, the council have decided that that federation is not in good standing. Let’s just see where these reports take us.”

The German broadcaster WDR has broadcast new claims that a company involved in covering up the positive tests of the marathon runner Liliya Shobukhova, through which hush money was refunded to her after she was later banned, was linked to Papa Massata Diack, son of the IAAF president, Lamine.

Papa Massata Diack confirmed to WDR that he had business links with the owner of the Singapore-registered company, which was called Black Tidings and subsequently liquidated. But he said he was not linked with the company itself, either as a partner or in an advisory capacity.

The French sports daily L’Equipe has also raised questions about meetings in Moscow hotels in 2011 between Valentin Balakhnichev, the president of the Russian athletics federation and an IAAF council member, a legal adviser to the IAAF named Habib Cisse and Papa Massata Diack.

“You have to say that the scope and scale of these allegations takes it beyond simply a competitor deciding to step beyond the moral boundary,” said Coe, who is likely to face opposition from the Ukrainian former pole vault world record holder Sergey Bubka in his battle to succeed Diack as IAAF president.

“This is not in every country of the world – there are 213 federations. But you do have to say a disproportionate amount of the reputational damage is in a relatively small number of countries and I think we have to recognise this,” he added.

“They are very serious allegations. The very fact that the allegations are in the public domain means they are serious. So we have to be very clear that this is a very, very difficult time for our sport.”

Coe has promised to reform further the IAAF’s internal organisation to make doping control completely independent of the main executive body if he is elected. But he said he had faith in the recently constituted ethics committee, chaired by the respected British QC Michael Beloff.

Asked if the allegations against Diack’s son made it difficult for the IAAF president, Coe, the former 800m and 1500m world record holder, added: “No, I think Lamine is very clear, he will wait for the investigation and, if names are in the fray, then those names will be subject to that investigation.

“He’s certainly not curtailing the work of the ethics committee nor could you – it’s Michael Beloff, one of the top QCs in the world.”

Coe indicated he would be in favour of publishing the ethics committee’s investigation and said copies of the latest transcripts of the allegations would be sent to the International Olympic Committee and the IAAF Council as well as the governing body’s ethics committee.