Please Help Support Russian Whistleblowers Vitaly Stepanov And Yulia Stepanova

smile wrote:

Tim "Pissflaps" Graham wrote:

So....People should donate money to people who did the wrong thing....then ratted out others who did the wrong thing? Yeah, ok.

Or to phrase it slightly differently, help out people that were responsible for outing the systematic doping story of our time and risked their lives to do so, and in supporting them, encouraging other whistle blowers to come forward by showing that they will be supported.

Instead, the IAAF & IOC have discouraged whistle blowers from coming forward, which of course, is exactly what they want.

Tim "Pissflaps" Graham wrote:

Contributing to people like this is almost as stupid as putting money in a tip jar on a store counter.

Nope.

Why would I fund something like this? I should feel bad enough for people that have nothing to do with me to give them my cash?

No, thanks. The charities I support with each race I enter are plenty. Unless I'm working for an anti-doping company, it's not my job to care or support these asshats.

If I've already supported Nigerians (GoFundMe) with "no money" to go to Rio, Was I scammed?

The Scot wrote:

get ugly wrote:

The comments so far on this thread are disappointing. The Stepanovs took on great risks, to both their careers and their safety, to expose the Russian doping program. If you care about doping, please show a little more respect and empathy. No one is excusing her from doping. This is about doing right by them so that future whistleblowers will not be afraid to speak up.

Problem is that It is hard to ignore geopolitics here. There seems to be a strong anti-Russia sentiment on this forum that isn't present with regard to other countries. Is that just due to the doping or something more? Its not long ago people were agitating to boycott the 2018 World Cup over Ukraine. There are many in the West licking their lips at the prospect of no Russian flags in sight at Rio.

Boo-hoo... poor Russians. Everyone is a victim these days.

I think some athletes should go on strike, they can't have an olympics without them.

Tim "Pissflaps" Graham wrote:

smile wrote:

Or to phrase it slightly differently, help out people that were responsible for outing the systematic doping story of our time and risked their lives to do so, and in supporting them, encouraging other whistle blowers to come forward by showing that they will be supported.

Instead, the IAAF & IOC have discouraged whistle blowers from coming forward, which of course, is exactly what they want.

Nope.

Why would I fund something like this? I should feel bad enough for people that have nothing to do with me to give them my cash?

No, thanks. The charities I support with each race I enter are plenty. Unless I'm working for an anti-doping company, it's not my job to care or support these asshats.

I am very sori im new to run boards, what in usa talking is de "asshats"?

Tim "Pissflaps" Graham wrote: I should feel bad enough for people that have nothing to do with me to give them my cash?

That's pretty much the definition of charity.

Tim "Pissflaps" Graham wrote:

No, thanks. The charities I support with each race I enter are plenty.

You clearly enter races in spite of the fact that some of your entry fee goes to charity, so don't call that support. In any event, even if you raced every weekend, the money you're "giving" to charity is a pittance, even for someone with very little income by first world standards.

Tim "Pissflaps" Graham wrote:Unless I'm working for an anti-doping company, it's not my job to care or support these asshats.

Again, charity is, by definition, not your "job."

You sound like a pretty terrible human being.

800 dude wrote:

Tim "Pissflaps" Graham wrote: I should feel bad enough for people that have nothing to do with me to give them my cash?

That's pretty much the definition of charity.

Tim "Pissflaps" Graham wrote:

No, thanks. The charities I support with each race I enter are plenty.

You clearly enter races in spite of the fact that some of your entry fee goes to charity, so don't call that support. In any event, even if you raced every weekend, the money you're "giving" to charity is a pittance, even for someone with very little income by first world standards.

Tim "Pissflaps" Graham wrote:Unless I'm working for an anti-doping company, it's not my job to care or support these asshats.

Again, charity is, by definition, not your "job."

You sound like a pretty terrible human being.

How do you know why I enter races and how much of the entry fee goes to charity? The answer is: You don't. Just because you may have entered scam races, don't assume everyone is that foolish.

Donating to cancer research or a family directly who lost their home, a loved one, etc. is charity. Keeping cable turned on in a rat's house is not......it's a scam. Those people are probably laughing at you and sending your money back to Russia.......you fool.

I'll laugh and think of these Russian idiots this weekend when I collect my change from the local bagel shop, hovering my hand right past the tip jar and depositing the money right where it belongs......in my pocket.

800 dude wrote:

The Scot wrote:

Problem is that It is hard to ignore geopolitics here. There seems to be a strong anti-Russia sentiment on this forum that isn't present with regard to other countries. Is that just due to the doping or something more? Its not long ago people were agitating to boycott the 2018 World Cup over Ukraine. There are many in the West licking their lips at the prospect of no Russian flags in sight at Rio.

How perceptive of you!

Of course there's a "strong anti-Russia sentiment here that isn't present with regard to other countries." Russia is a kleptocratic, brutal dictatorship that invades and annexes the sovereign territory of its democratic neighbors.

Thanks for agreeing with me that its phoney outrage.

I feel for the Stepanovs, and would like to see Yulia at the Olympics. Actually I'm against a ban that would punish any eligible athletes from competing -- since I see these athletes as victims, first of forced doping by their federation, and now banned from competing.

But I have a couple questions about the whistle blowers:

1) Aren't the Shobukhova's also whistleblowers in this story? Are their lives in danger? Did they go into hiding? The Shobukhova's are in desperate need of money too -- as London is calling. Should we crowd-fund them too? They are out 300,000 Euros of bribe money, and the London courts just ruled they need to pay back the all of the London fees.

2) Why do people consider the Stepanov's an IAAF, or Seb Coe's problem? The Stepanov's went to WADA and the ARD. They exposed Russian doping, not the IAAF bribery. I could see the IAAF supporting the Shobukhova's -- as they went to the IAAF Ethics Commission to blow the whistle. But it was WADA and the ARD who put the Stepanov's lives in danger.

I don't think this is entirely correct... If you are asking for a contribution based on hardship that this family is most likely having given their current situation, then I would say it is valid argument (as so many many other cases completely unrelated to running). But if your/their case is based on the fact that they are the "world’s most renowned anti-doping whistle blowers", as it seems to be, then i have to disagree. Vitaly Stepanov may be, but not Ms. Stepanova.Considering the job that Vitaly Stepanov held, it's no less than his obligation to report it and in fact he did "at great personal sacrifice and risk" - he lost his job and almost his wife. He tried to convince her to join him to which she refused (eventually they almost ended in divorce). The only reason why Ms. Stepanova eventually joined him, was because she felt betrayed by the same organization that helped her with doping and she probably wanted revenge for being the scapegoat, so her motivations are less than noble. She did nothing while she was protected by that systematic doping system and she should serve ban as everyone else, why would she have a special status?

You should fund the Shobukhova's if you wish to.

Well, IAAF was on the take from Russia to cover-up their doping, so that implicates the IAAF in the dangers the Stepanov's face.

The Independent Commission report explicitly called on IAAF to provide assistance to the Stepanov's and IAAF has said they accepted all of the report without reservation.

Seb Coe had said that he would meet w/ the Stepanovs. He also has repeatedly called for other whistle-blowers to step forward, but has taken absolutely no steps to support the ones who already have.

Dick Pound said his support for Seb Coe being the right man to help the IAAF was predicated on the IAAF following all of the recommendations in the Commission report.

So, yes, all of these things point to the IAAF needing to help the Stepanov's. The silence is deafening.

just sayin wrote:

the criminal justice system operates in this fashion,

reward for whistleblowers

Then apply the criminal justice system to dopers ie jail

Tim Pissflaps" Graham wrote:

How do you know why I enter races and how much of the entry fee goes to charity? The answer is: You don't. Just because you may have entered scam races, don't assume everyone is that foolish.

Donating to cancer research or a family directly who lost their home, a loved one, etc. is charity. Keeping cable turned on in a rat's house is not......it's a scam. Those people are probably laughing at you and sending your money back to Russia.......you fool.

I'll laugh and think of these Russian idiots this weekend when I collect my change from the local bagel shop, hovering my hand right past the tip jar and depositing the money right where it belongs......in my pocket.

I never said you should give money to these people. But everything you said was a criticism of charity GENERALLY.

As for your charity races, I stand by what I said. It doesn't matter if you race every weekend and every race gives 100% of their entry fee to charity. That's still a pathetic annual charitable contribution, regardless of your income.

The Scot wrote:

800 dude wrote:

How perceptive of you!

Of course there's a "strong anti-Russia sentiment here that isn't present with regard to other countries." Russia is a kleptocratic, brutal dictatorship that invades and annexes the sovereign territory of its democratic neighbors.

Thanks for agreeing with me that its phoney outrage.

Do you not see the connection between sport and politics? The same government that murders journalists and invades its neighbors is also murdering doping officials and sponsoring this doping program because it helps to promote nationalism and consolidate power at home. If one is opposed to human rights abuses and war crimes, then one should also be opposed to the propoganda programs that support them.

But even if doping had nothing to do with politics, the fact that people are disgusted with the regime does not mean that they have no legitimate justification for being outraged as proponents of clean sport.

Mr. Obvious wrote:

So, yes, all of these things point to the IAAF needing to help the Stepanov's. The silence is deafening.

It cannot be any clearer that these are not the actions of a sports federation.

It's an entertainment distributor that had an actor air some dirty laundry. Let's just be done with the charade this is a sport. It's WWE.

Well, pathetic according to you.......a nobody. For someone who tauts charity you should be grateful for any contributions, not only those causes worthy of your great stamp of approval.

Go shove a pick axe in your colon

Mr. Obvious wrote:

The independent commission review of IAAF called for the IAAF to provide relocation assistance and job retraining assistance.

Dick Pound said that his support for Seb Coe remaining was contingent on IAAF following all of the recommendations in the report.

Seb Coe said he was planning to meet w/ the Stepanov's to express his gratitude and has repeatedly called on other whistleblowers to come forward.

Has IAAF pprovided any funding?

Has Seb Coe met w/ the Stepanov's?

Has DIck Pound made any criticism of IAAF not following the recommendation regarding the Stepanovs?

Letsrun, please follow-up on these questions. I'm happy you are supporting the crowd-funding for these people, but they deserve more.

They deserve financial support & assistance from Seb Coe and IAAF; not from the general public. Hey IAAF, how about suing the Diack's in French court.

messi wrote:

Mr. Obvious wrote:

The independent commission review of IAAF called for the IAAF to provide relocation assistance and job retraining assistance.

Dick Pound said that his support for Seb Coe remaining was contingent on IAAF following all of the recommendations in the report.

Seb Coe said he was planning to meet w/ the Stepanov's to express his gratitude and has repeatedly called on other whistleblowers to come forward.

Has IAAF pprovided any funding?

Has Seb Coe met w/ the Stepanov's?

Has DIck Pound made any criticism of IAAF not following the recommendation regarding the Stepanovs?

Letsrun, please follow-up on these questions. I'm happy you are supporting the crowd-funding for these people, but they deserve more.

They deserve financial support & assistance from Seb Coe and IAAF; not from the general public. Hey IAAF, how about suing the Diack's in French court.

I agree that they deserve support and assistance from IAAF.

I do not think giving charitable contributions to a kickstarter is about "deserve" but I know people may differ on that.

I can say that Stepanovs made a HUGE job to expose state-doping system. And it was really dangerous. Yulia is really sorry for her doping stuff. And she voluntary wrote to WADA all about doping system. And she didn't get the reduce of DQ as Gatlin and Gay!

Read their letter - it's very strong document. IOC openly lies!