‘Clean up your own house first!’ Olympic champion blasts USADA chief for calls to ban Russia
by RT
‘Clean up your own house first!’ Olympic champion blasts USADA chief for calls to ban Russia
Greek Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi has slammed US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) chief Travis Tygart for his calls to ban all Russian athletes from the 2020 Tokyo Games, telling him to “clean up his own house.”
The 2017 world champion said the US anti-doping watchdog doesn’t have the reputation to talk about clean athletes, taking into account numerous US doping cases that have rocked the sports world.
She also suggested that some American athletes get away with doping offences by using explanations such as eating “steroid-infused meat.”
“Well…to be fair with all the steroid-infused meat and the way missed tests are counted in this side of the world I’ve got to admit USADA doesn’t have the best reputation either. Focus on cleaning up your own house first,” Stefanidi wrote on Twitter.
Well…to be fair with all the steroid-infused meat and the way missed tests are counted in this side of the world I’ve got to admit USADA doesn’t have the best reputation either. Focus on cleaning up your own house first. https://t.co/wwqikvcXQj
The vast majority of US professional sport leagues, including the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL), and National Basketball Association (NBA) are not subject to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) procedures, prompting accusations they have less-effective anti-doping programs.
Earlier this week, Tygart called on the WADA to ban all Russian athletes from next summer’s Olympics in Japan, including those who have never been accused of doping violations.
WADA will deliver its verdict regarding Russia’s participation in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo on December 9 during an Executive Committee board meeting in Paris, after allegations of inconsistencies in data extracted from a Moscow laboratory.
