Stepanova to appeal Rio exclusion

LOS ANGELES, California: Yuliya Stepanova, the Russian 800m runner who lifted the lid on systematic doping and corruption in Russian athletics, is making one last-gasp appeal of her ban from the Rio Olympics.

Her husband Vitaly Stepanov, a former Russian Anti-Doping Agency employee who also provided information on doping, told USA Today in an article posted on their website on Tuesday that the couple believed the International Olympic Committee’s refusal to let Stepanova race in Rio was a slap in the face to those who dared to reveal doping secrets. “In my view, that’s an unfair decision to whistleblowers because what IOC lacked to understand, if Yuliya never started to do whistleblowing, most likely none of this would be happening,” he said. “After her ban was over, she would have been part of the Russian Olympic team right now.” The Stepanovs have made a final appeal to the IOC, sending a letter on Monday to its general counsel pointing out what they see as errors in the IOC ethics commission review of her case.