He has confirmed, however that the measure - which will offer an estimated 250,000 members of the “athletics family” the first chance to register for tickets to next year’s event - was prompted by the failure of many deserving followers to gain athletics tickets at the Olympics in London in 2012. 

“It is not a reaction to recent events,” de Vos, who is also chief executive of UK Athletics, told insidethegames. 

Recent revelations have left Russia suspended from international competition following charges of state-supported doping and have also left former IAAF President Lamine Diack under investigation by French police on charges of allegedly taking payments for deferring doping sanctions against Russian athletes.

“It has been in our plans since the bid was submitted - we have been working with the Home Countries since winning the bid in 2011 to implement this," said de Vos.

The ticketing innovation comes at a time when tensions within the London 2017 board have led to the resignation of two key members - deputy chair Heather Hancock and Audit Committee chair Martin Stewart, whose departure was made public on Friday.

There has reportedly been internal dissension over the fact that the London 2017 chairman, Ed Warner, and De Vos, hold the same respective positions for UK Athletics, sparking concerns over a possible conflict of interest.

A full governance review is ongoing in conjunction with the IAAF, it is believed, with results likely this week.

De Vos said he had committed to the idea of priority ticketing “back in 2012”, adding: “We are determined to ensure that those people on whom athletics relies are guaranteed the chance to attend should they wish - it is our way of saying thank you and one of the reasons why UK Athletics bid for the event.”

Asked if the ticketing plan was a reaction to the fact that many people in athletics missed out on the London Olympics, de Vos replied: “Absolutely - I get the feeling that many people like this missed out on Olympic tickets in 2012 and we would like to give them the best chance of taking their place at London 2017.

“This will give them a great chance to attend London 2017 and the response that we have had so far has been excellent.

“If you are a volunteer, official, coach or supporter you may be able to enter the priority purchase window which will give you first access to tickets to London 2017 before they go on sale to the general public.

“These people really are the true heroes of athletics.

“UK Athletics estimates there to be around 250,000 people within the athletics family who are entitled to take up this opportunity and we are encouraging them to register before March 31 so we can establish how many tickets to allocate.

“I would ask them to keep an eye on their email for communications from their Home Country governing body.

"Further information on ticket sales, volumes and price points will be made public in April and we are working to ensure sufficient tickets are available to meet the demands of the athletics family.

 “We saw how well received an idea like this was for the initial tickets for Rugby World Cup and hope that the initiative continues for future events.”

The Rugby Football Union offered affiliated clubs an early opportunity to register for tickets to last year’s World Cup finals in England and Wales, setting aside half a million tickets for the “rugby family".

Mike Rowbottom's Big Read on London 2017 can be read here.