Doping, whistleblower Stepanov: Russia is no longer my homeland | sport

As a key witness in the ARD documentary “State Secret Doping – How Russia Makes Its Champions”, former employee of the Russian anti-doping agency Rusada sparked the downfall of his country as a sporting nation. He has since lived with his family in a secret location in the United States.

“We no longer see Russia as our homeland, but only as the place where we were born,” Stepanov said in an interview with German news agency DPA. “We do not intend to return one day either. Now we have to see if we can stay here forever. “

“It’s a never-ending battle”

In the report aired in late 2014, Stepanov spoke of a state-controlled doping system. Shortly before, he had left Russia to end up in the United States via Germany. His revelations – and those of his wife who was allowed to use doping undisturbed as an athlete – helped impose sanctions on Russia. The TAS sports court recently banned the country from participating in major sporting events for two years, a reduction in half of the sentence previously handed down by the world anti-doping agency WADA. “The Russian government continues to deceive and deceive the Olympic movement,” he is convinced.

He does not regret his actions. “The truth came out and the organizations concerned were forced to take action. It makes me positive. I think the anti-doping movement has grown stronger. When we started this, I had the impression that there was certainly no anti-doping fight in Russia. That everything and everyone was corrupt and the health of the athletes was totally irrelevant.

Stepanov, currently an advisor to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), remains realistic. He sees “better opportunities for pure athletes” to succeed in international competition. “But it’s a never-ending battle.”