Russian champ blasts own sports authorities over ban

FILE PHOTO: Athletics - World Athletics Championships Ð womenÕs high jump victory ceremony Ð London Stadium, London, Britain Ð August 12, 2017 Ð Neutral athlete Maria Lasitskene (Gold) poses with the medal. REUTERS/Matthew Childs/File Photo

Russian high jump world champion Maria Lasitskene yesterday accused her country’s own sports authorities of failing to protect athletes from the deepening doping crisis, in a rare public broadside at top officials.

On Monday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) handed Russia a new, this time four-year, ban from top global sporting events, including the next summer and winter Olympics and the 2022 soccer World Cup, for tampering with laboratory data.