Athlete who helped expose doping in Russia allowed to compete at Olympics

The athlete who blew the whistle on widespread doping in Russia has been cleared to compete in the Olympics. Yulia Stepanova, whose revelations led to her country’s athletes being banned from international competition, will be allowed to take part in Rio next month as a neutral competitor. The 800m runner, whose husband Vitaly, a drug-testing official, also gave evidence to an official inquiry, was granted permission to take part in the Games and the European championships under an “exceptional eligibility,” rule. The sport’s ruling body, the IAAF said she was “someone having made a truly exceptional contribution to the protection and promotion of clean athletes, fair play, and the integrity and authenticity of the sport”.

Stepanova is now eligible to compete in international competitions as an independent neutral athlete

IAAF statement

So far, more than 80 Russian athletes have applied for exemption from the ban. Stepanova, 29, was barred from the sport for using banned substances but fled abroad with her husband after helping expose the corruption in Russia. She colluded with a German journalist in secretly taping athletes and coaches discussing doping. Meanwhile, the Russian men’s quadruple sculls team has been disqualified from the Olympics for a doping violation and will be replaced at the games by New Zealand. The World Rowing Federation says that trimetazidine, a banned substance, was found in a urine sample given by rower Sergei Fedorovtsev in an out-of-competition test on May 17.

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