From Inside the Games

Double Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva has launched a fierce attack on whistleblowers who have revealed details about alleged Russian doping.

The 34-year-old, appointed head of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) last month, reacted to the latest documentary on German channel ARD on her Instagram and Facebook pages.

Russia remains suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) due to doping concerns and Isinbayeva has been a vocal critic of the way her country has been treated.

In the documentary, broadcast on Sunday (January 22) and spearheaded by journalist Hajo Seppelt, Russian 1500 metres runner Andrey Dmitriev discussed banned Russian coaches who he said were still working.

Secret video footage of suspended coach Vladimir Kazarin, seen in a sports hall in Chelyabinsk during a training session for 400m runner Artem Denmukhametov, was shown.

“You say that we are changing, but these people are still there,” Dmitriev told ARD.

Other Russian whistleblowers include husband and wife Vitaly Stepanov and Yuliya Stepanova, forced to flee to the United States after they provided evidence of state-sponsored doping in 2014.

Isinbayeva, however, believes whistleblowers should go to the authorities instead of the media.

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