Russian whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova has had the account that shows details of her location hacked, the World Anti-Doping Agency has confirmed.
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It said in a statement that her password for the system was “illegally obtained” and someone other than Stepanova “accessed her account”. Like hundreds of athletes, Stepanova accesses the WADA system to enter her whereabouts, so doping-control officers can find her if she’s selected for out-of-competition testing.
“A subsequent investigation allowed the agency to determine that no other athlete accounts on ADAMS have been accessed”, the organisation added, indicating this was a highly-targeted attack. “It should also be noted that WADA is in contact with the relevant law enforcement authorities”.
Following an alleged hack on its website last week, Wada officials said some of its users had received phishing scam emails claiming to be from the anti-doping agency and which tried to trick athletes into providing their passwords.
The International Olympic Committee is fending off massive cyberattacks during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The revelations led to some athletes being banned from the Olympics.
Vitaly Stepanov, who worked for the now-discredited Russian Anti-Doping Agency, corresponded with WADA for four years starting in 2010 about his observations of doping and corruption in Russian track and field. “Doping is not only a problem in Russia”, Stepanova said.
Two Russian athletes who brought to light the extent of doping in Russian sports now fear for their lives and have moved to yet another secret location for their safety. Included in that was information about Stepanova’s whereabouts.
The IOC considered a ban of all Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics based on the state-sponsored doping allegations, but decided against it, leaving the final decisions with the global sports federations.
“I expected to be barred from the Olympic Games”, said Stepanova, who joined her husband as an informant after she was sanctioned for biological passport abnormalities.
“Yuliya’s e-mail account was hacked, followed a few hours later by a hack of her ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration and Management System) account, i.e. her anti-doping control account at WADA, ” said a Swiss organization supporting Stapanova.
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Though the Stepanovs were critical of the IOC’s decision, Stepanova said she is watching the Games and will watch the 800-meter final on Saturday.
