Chris Froome’s claims that athletics should follow cycling’s lead and invest more heavily in anti-doping have been criticised by track and field’s global governing body.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) insists it is already spending more than any other sport in the battle against drugs.

British cyclist Froome faced constant allegations and innuendo on his way to his second Tour de France victory last month, claims which were partially quiet-ened when Team Sky released some of his power data midway through the race.

Cycling has attempted to get to grips with doping in the sport in the wake of the Lance Armstrong scandal and the sport’s blackest days appear to be behind it.

At the same time athletics is embroiled in ongoing doping allegations which threaten to overshadow this month’s World Championships in Beijing.

Last week, the IAAF suspended 28 athletes who competed in the 2005 and 2007 World Championships after the retesting of anti-doping samples.

“From what I understand, the testing (in athletics) hasn’t been at the level that it is in cycling,” Froome told BBC Sport.

“It is going to have to invest a lot more heavily in anti-doping. That would be a step in the right direction.”

Froome said cycling’s governing body the UCI spends about four times what its athletics equivalent does on testing.

But the IAAF said those figures were misleading.

“At the risk of sounding repetitive by reiterating what we have said before, the IAAF spent $2.3m in 2014 on our anti-doping programme on testing alone,” said an IAAF statement.

“This is, without doubt, the highest proportion of an annual budget of any equivalent sporting federation or organisation.

“The UCI spent approximately $1.13m on anti-doping in 2013.

“It is our understanding that this contribution has even been re-duced since then.”

The IAAF claimed 80 per cent of the money for testing in cycling goes to male members from the UCI pro-tour team.

They added that there was no spending on female riders, cross-country, track cycling or other cycling disciplines.

All-round cover

“The federation’s own money is spent to cover every aspect of the sport – from track and field to cross country, road running, walking and mountain running – men and women,” added the IAAF statement.

“If the intention is to imply that ‘cycling’ does more and spends more than ‘athletics’ worldwide (rather than referring to the facts about what the respective federations are doing, and which the IAAF hope we have just done) then we propose that media refer to the WADA annual sport by sport comparison.”

In a statement, the UCI said it did not wish to comment on the IAAF’s press release or the efforts of other international federations in the area of anti-doping but stressed its own budget exceeded six million Swiss francs – nearly $6.4 million.

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