Call to allow WADA informant to compete

A Change.org petition calling for the lifting of the ban on Russian athlete Yulia Stepanova has collected more than 220,000 signatures.

Stepanova, a specialist in the 800-metre race and one of the main informants who revealed the scandal of Russian doping, was banned by the International Olympic Committee for failing to meet the requirement of not having tested positive for doping in the past.

Kaj Beuter, initiator of the petition, said the World Anti-Doping Agency is "very concerned about the signal this has sent out to all future whistleblowers" and called for letting Stepanova take part in the Games, "in appreciation of her efforts to reveal one of the biggest doping scandals in history".