Claims of state-sponsored doping of Chinese track athletes are being investigated by the sport's global governing body after a letter attributed to a squad of ten runners including world record holder Wang Junxia surfaced in the Chinese media.

Wang, who set world records in the 3000 metres and 10,000 metres in 1993 said she and her teammates were forced to take "large doses of illegal drugs over the years". In the letter reportedly penned in 1995 she wrote that women on the team tried to secretly throw away the pills forced on them. But coach Ma Junren would personally inject drugs into his athletes, known as "Ma's Army."

The International Association of Athletics Federations has asked the Chinese Athletics Association for help to verify the letter, the South China Morning Post reported. If the letter is verified as an admission of guilt by the athletes, they could be stripped of their titles and banned from the sport as well as face financial sanctions.

Wang gained a place in the IAAF's Hall of Fame for her notable achievements in the 1993 championships in Tianjin, Stuttgart and Beijing. She took nearly 42 seconds off the 10,000 metre race record in Beijing.