From Inside the Games

Secret video footage supporting allegations that Russian coaches banned for doping offences are still working at professional level has featured in the latest documentary to be broadcast by German channel ARD. 

German television journalist Hajo Seppelt, whose documentaries for ARD triggered investigations by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) into Russian doping, confirmed last week that a new documentary on the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs would be aired today.

The focus of the documentary is Russian track and field athlete Andrey Dmitriev, who has declared his willingness to work as a whistleblower due to what he believes to be no sign of change.

Recorded on January 12, the 1,500 metres runner speaks of secret video footage of suspended coach Vladimir Kazarin, who is seen in a sports hall in Chelyabinsk during a training session for 400m runner Artem Denmukhametov.

Dmitriev also reports having seen Kazarin at a training camp in Kyrgyzstan in November of last year.

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

“This is just hypocrisy for me.

“It’s lying.

“It’s imitating changes, but there are none really.”

Kazarin is a former coach of Yuliya Stepanova, who along with husband Vitaly Stepanov has taken up residence at an unknown location in the United States due to having to flee Russia after they provided evidence of state-sponsored doping in 2014.

They were the key witnesses in the ARD documentary Top-secret Doping: How Russia makes its Winners which alleged widespread corruption and drug-taking in Russian athletics.

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