Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Golder’s News And Sport
Three-time high jump world champion Mariya Lasitskene says she is considering suing the Russian Athletics Federation for “millions” because the doping scandal means she could miss out on the Olympics.
Three-time World Athletic Championships gold-medallist Lasitskene, 27, made the comments after the Russian Athletics Federation (RAF) were involved in a falsified documents scandal which could have ramifications for athletes.
RAF President Dmitry Shlyakhtin and four other employees were suspended for falsifying documents in November 2019 that high jumper Danil Lysenko, 22, submitted to explain a missed doping test.
Yulia Tarasenko was appointed as interim president until the elections scheduled for 28th February.
When speaking about the possibility of participating in the upcoming Olympic Games Lasitskene said: “I think that there are very little chances.
“RAF leadership is not doing anything for athletes in this matter. They are simply trying to stay in power and are not embarrassed by this.
“I do not exclude that they will not stop me from going to the second Olympics in a row but I’ll fight to the end, even though there is little hope of success.”
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) banned RAF competitors in athletics from participating in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games after a doping-related suspension in November 2015.
The decision saw Lisitskene out of the Olympics despite being considered a heavy favourite to win the gold in the high jump.
She went on to say: “I am considering the option of suing the RAF. If the courts refuse to accept my lawsuit against RAF, then I will sue specific people.
“I’ll sue those who will be formally convicted in the case with Lysenko’s fake certificate and the current federation leadership.
“Their (RAF) actions have led and lead to my losses – moral, image and material. According to initial estimates, if I completely miss the winter season, it will be a multi-million lawsuit”.
The high jump champion also revealed she plans to boycott the ‘Russian Winter Meeting’ saying: “The decision to not participate in the ‘Russian Winter’ championship is a kind of reaction to what is happening in Russian athletics and to people who are still at the helm of the Federation.
”I would be glad if the athletes came together and held a similar action together, but I can’t force anyone, everyone has their own career and life. But the coach and I decided to do that”.
The Russian Winter Meeting is set to take place on 9th February and is an annual track and field competition held in the Russian capital of Moscow.
There have been no reports of other athletes joining the boycott.
Lasitskene has won the World Athletic Championships gold medal an impressive three times (2015, 2017, 2019) the most in women’s high jump history.
At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Russian athletes were allowed to participate under the Olympic flag as ‘Olympic Athletes from Russia’ (OAR) if they were cleared as clean athletes by a panel.
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