Athletics has been at the forefront in the fight against doping and its world governing body will do everything to protect the clean athletes, president Sebastian Coe said.

The twice Olympic 1,500 metres champion was elected in August to head the IAAF which has been accused of going soft on doping after thousands of blood test data were leaked to media.

Coe said athletics has been “at the vanguard” in the fight against doping.

“It’s not uniquely a track and field problem,” Coe told reporters in Delhi, yesterday.

“Every sport in the world has global issues. We have them but we also resolve them.

“It is our responsibility to make sure that our systems are clear and concise and the protocols are uniform across the globe,” he said.

“We must encourage the clean athletes to believe that we are always going to be in their corner.

“The reason that you have testing systems is actually to protect the clean athletes. It’s not just simply to remove those who cheat,” he said.

The Briton said IAAF tested 19,000 athletes since 2003-04, more than any other sport, and felt there was a perception issue.

“(Sprinter) Usain Bolt is the most tested athlete, male or female, in any sport on the planet. Reality and perception often get badly tangled,” he said.

“We take this very, very seriously and we need to make sure that the public believe what they watch in a stadium is legitimate.”