Hearing points to Putin’s role in Russian doping scandal

Former Russian Olympian and anti-doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova, pauses while testifying during a Helsinki Commission hearing on the impact of doping in international sport, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)Washington • Supporters of a bill that would make international sports doping a crime argued Wednesday that the legislation would deter scandals like Russian state-sponsored drug use at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Yulia Stepanova, a Russian former track athlete who became a whistleblower about the drug program, said at a congressional hearing that ending doping in her country would have to “start from the top” — with Russian President…