RUSADA, based in this office block, remain as non-compliant with WADA. RusAF executive director Alexander Parkin wants drug testing to be conducted on a larger scale ©Getty Images

Russia Athletics Federation (RusAF) executive director Alexander Parkin has claimed the current level of drug testing of athletes is insufficient in the nation.

The RusAF are currently suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), with the sanction set to remain in place until the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) is declared compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The decision was taken by the IAAF following a report from their Taskforce led by Norway’s Rune Andersen.

Under the current timetable, this will happen on a provisional basis in May and on a full basis in November.

This means Russians would only be able to compete as neutral athletes at August's IAAF World Championships in London.

A total of 10 applications have been approved this year, with long jumper Darya Klishina having been approved last year.

It enabled her to be the sole track and field star from Russia to appear at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Parkin has admitted that RusAF would like to have more tests than at present and believes the RUSADA regaining compliance is key.

"Of course, we would like to have more [doping tests]," he told the Russian news agency TASS.

"We are waiting, it is necessary for us that RUSADA is restored.

“We have nominated 284 athletes for the RUSADA list and we surely would like to see the drug testing conducted on a larger scale.

“At the moment, we have only 60 to 80 athletes included in the testing pool."

Reigning men's 110m hurdles world champion Sergey Shubenkov was one of seven athletes to be cleared to compete neutrally last month ©Getty Images
Reigning men's 110m hurdles world champion Sergey Shubenkov was one of seven athletes to be cleared to compete neutrally last month ©Getty Images

The country's drug testing programme is currently being overseen by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) after they agreed to a request when the RUSADA was suspended last January.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko claimed earlier this year that the number of doping samples collected from national athletes will double to around 6,000 this year.

Pavel Kolobkov, Russian Sports Minister, last month expressed his hope that the RUSADA would be reinstated by WADA in November.

Russia could yet still face sanctions as a result of Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren’s report, which claimed around 1,000 Russians had doping samples manipulated and tampered with between 2011 and 2015 at events including the Sochi 2014 Winter and Paralympic Games.

Firm evidence to support many of the McLaren Report's earlier findings was only published in December.

Two Swiss-run International Olympic Committee (IOC) Commissions, chaired by Denis Oswald and former Swiss Confederation President, Samuel Schmid, are currently analysing the evidence.

A decision will then be made on how to sanction Russia's medal-topping performances at Sochi 2014 as well as how to limit their participation at Pyeongchang 2018.