IOC chief refuses to protect Russian whistleblower
The questionable treatment of Russian whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova has raised further concerns following comments made by the president of the IOC .
Fears over the safety of Yuliya Stepanova is not a concern of the IOC according to president Thomas Bach, who was speaking during a routine media briefing with journalists in Rio de Janeiro. Bach’s comments come after Stepanova recently said she feared for her life. The 800m meter runner and her husband have made headlines around the world after exposing a state-sponsored doping system in Russian Athletics. The revelations contributed towards Russia’s ban from the Olympic athletics competition.
Since those revelations, Stepanova has not returned to Russia. Last week it was confirmed that somebody tried to hack her ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration and Management System) account, which details her whereabouts. Her personal email account was also hacked.
“The only reason somebody would hack an ADAMS account is to find out your exact location,” Stepanova said about the hack to Reuters news.”We decided it was safer to relocate. If something happens to us then you should know that it is not an accident,”
The incident has raised fears over Stepanova’s safety, but Bach has insisted that it isn’t a duty of his organization to protect her.
IOC President Thomas Bach on Russian doping whistle blower: "We are not responsible for dangers to which Mrs Stepanova may be exposed"
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) August 20, 2016
Bach’s blunt comments come after the IOC was heavily criticized by Stepanova’s husband, Vitaly. Vitaly, a former member of the Russian anti-doping agency, has claimed that the IOC ‘has no interest in clean sport’
Stepanova has been branded by many as a hero in the campaign against doping in sport but has endured conflicts with the IOC. She appealed to compete at the Olympic Games in Rio as an independent athlete, but her request was denied. On the other hand, she was bizarrely invited to the opening ceremony as a ‘guest of the committee’.
In February 2013 the Russian received a two-year suspension from athletics after irregularities in her biological passport. A year after her sentence, she spoke out about her country’s illegal doping system in a documentary for German TV.