Chris Froome repeated his hope of being cleared of wrongdoing over an adverse finding for elevated levels of salbutamol after being confirmed as a starter at the Giro d’Italia, which begins in Jerusalem next week.

The 32-year-old could be banned for the reading at last year’s Vuelta, which he won. But the Team Sky leader is bidding to prove his use of the substance was legitimate. As the asthma medication is a specified substance, the four-time Tour de France winner can continue racing, much to the chagrin of many of his rivals.

“It obviously hasn’t been easy … it hasn’t been easy in the build up to the Giro,” Froome told Eurosport. “I certainly haven’t been charged of anything as of yet and I hope to be fully exonerated of any wrongdoing because I know I didn’t do anything wrong.

“I get it, when people look at the sport of cycling, they see what’s happened in the past and people think: ‘Here we go again, it’s history repeating itself.’ This case is not that scenario. I do empathise with people but it’s hugely frustrating that this is now being played out in the public domain.

“It’s frustrating, but what can I do? I’ve just got to carry on and try and get this resolved as quickly as possible. It’s a complicated process and we’re trying to follow what’s being laid out to us by the authorities, but it’s not all straight forward and we’re doing the best we can to get it cleared up.”

The Giro begins on 4 May, with the first three stages in Israel, and concludes in Rome on 27 May, with Froome bidding to be the winner of all three Grand Tours – of France, Spain and Italy – at the same time.

Whether Froome will line-up to target a fifth yellow jersey at the Tour in July will likely be decided by administrators, lawyers and experts considering the salbutamol reading which has left a series of questions unanswered.

Amaury Sports Organisation, the Tour organisers, are reportedly prepared to block Froome’s participation if the case is unresolved. “I think it’ll be a huge shame for the race if the defending champion and four-times winner can’t be on that start line, even though the process and the rules say that he can, that’s a huge loss for the sport,” Froome added.

A fifth Tour title would see Froome share the record number of victories as Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven titles.

Froome added: “Of course there is an element of risk involved in targeting the Giro before the Tour, but I think I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t give this race a go.

“I would love to win the maglia rosa [the Giro race winner’s pink jersey], but I am under no illusions whatsoever about how hard the race will be.”

Froome will be joined in the Team Sky squad by Vasil Kiryienka of Belarus, Germany’s Christian Knees and Colombia’s Sergio Henao – all of whom helped him win a fourth Tour last July.

Wout Poels of Holland, Spain’s David de la Cruz, Salvatore Puccio of Italy and France’s Kenny Elissonde complete the Team Sky squad. Froome, who lived in Italy in the early part of his career, is racing in the Giro for the first time since 2010, in Team Sky’s debut season.

Froome is not the only Briton starting with designs on the pink jersey, as Simon Yates has been named as joint leader of the Australian Mitchelton-Scott squad.