The file /var/svn/sample/README.txt says * This is a Subversion repository; use the 'svnadmin' tool to examine it. Do not add, delete, or modify files here unless you know how to avoid corrupting the repository.*but as far as I know there are no svnadmin tools to control access to the repository; the only way to control access to the repository is to manually edit the files in the 'conf' subdirectory, which the README.txt file tells you not to do.
- Subversion: Access control management Andy Canfield