MONACO - The IAAF has approved Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova's bid to compete as a neutral athlete in the European championships and the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Stepanova was the first athlete accepted by track and field's governing body on Friday to compete under "exceptional eligibility," granting her an exemption from the doping suspension of the entire Russian team.
Stepanova was one of the world's top 800-meter runners before she and her husband Vitaly Stepanov, a drug-testing official, provided evidence to the World Anti-Doping Agency that doping was systematic in Russian athletics, with officials helping to cover it up.
The IAAF statement said its doping review board "decided its first case of an athlete seeking exceptional eligibility to compete in international competition as a neutral athlete," and lauded Stepanova "as someone having made a truly exceptional contribution to the protection and promotion of clean athletes, fair play, and the integrity and authenticity of the sport."
It added that Stepanova's participation as a neutral athlete "is still subject to acceptance by the organizer of the competition in question, in accordance with the rules of that competition."
European Athletics, which is organizing the continental championships in Amsterdam next week, issued a statement saying it would accept Stepanova's entry. It earlier said it would go along with any decision on Stepanova's eligibility by the IAAF.
"European Athletics will accept the participation of Yuliya Stepanova as an independent neutral athlete ... along with IAAF, European Athletics recognizes Stepanova's exceptional contribution to the protection and promotion of clean athletes ..." it said on Thursday.
Russia was banned from all international competition, including the Olympics, by the IAAF in November. That ban was upheld month when the IAAF said Russia failed to meet reform conditions, but it launched a measure allowing individuals to compete as "neutral athletes" if they can show they have been regularly tested by a reliable agency. Russia's own anti-doping agency was almost entirely shut down last year after it faced coverup claims.
The measure is aimed largely at Russians who have been based abroad, and few athletes are likely to be eligible, though U.S.-based long jumper Daria Klishina, a two-time European indoor champion, is likely to be one.
The deadline to apply is Monday, and a decision on all claims will be made by July 18. Olympic athletics starts on Aug. 12.
The IAAF has said more than 80 Russian athletes have applied.
There is a dispute between the IAAF and the International Olympic Committee over how such "neutral athletes" from Russia would compete at the Olympics. The IOC wants them to use the Russian flag, while the IAAF is opposed.
Dmitry Shlyakhtin, the head of the suspended All-Russia Athletic Federation, said his organization was "absolutely neutral" on Stepanova's eligibility, in comments to the Tass news agency on Friday. He added ARAF supported 68 applications by Russians to the IAAF but "maybe someone filed applications themselves, without agreement with the federation."
