Yuliya Stepanova is one of the two Russians who helped blow whistle on the doping in Russia. The duo started the snowball of events which led to current crisis in the Olympic world.
Snowden did the same thing, he revealed all that was wrong in the government way of working which made him America’s biggest villain and now harboring in Russia. Coming back to the sporting world, Yuliya and Vitaly are hiding in America fearing for their life. Their fear for life may be true as earlier this year two doping officials related to Russian anti-doping agency Nikita Kamaev former head of anti-doping agency and Vyacheslav Sinev were found dead in a mysterious circumstances.
Yuliya, 30 risked her career and life to expose what is going to be remembered as dopingate of the Olympics world and IOC in its recent ruling ruled out support to Yuliya and Vitaly, leaving them on their own. It is ironic that people who expose system such as Yuliya, Vitaly, Edward Snowden, Julien Assange, Thomas Drake and many other becomes nations enemy no. 1.
While the blame is entirely on Russia now but singling out one country is extremely unfair on the part of the IOC. There is more to the whole doping issue than what is put out in the world.