'I have questions': Russian high-jump star Lasitskene slams officials

One of Russia's top athletes, three-time world champion high jumper Mariya Lasitskene, on Tuesday, called sports officials to account after her country was banned for four years from international competition. In her open letter published by Championat.com sports website, Lasitskene, a longtime critic of Russian sports officials, demanded to kw who has been punished over country's doping scandal and fact that she cant compete under Russian flag. Lasitskene missed 2016 Rio Olympics because of doping crisis and had threatened to leave Russia so as t to miss Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

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" Russian flag was taken from me at end of 2015," 26-year-old wrote, calling herself "an athlete who has a lot of questions". "Have we done an internal investigation? Who was punished?" Lasitskene said. "Why is our athletics still using banned substances, and coaches of athletes caught doping are still working while officials in charge are falsifying official documents?" 

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World Anti-Doping ncy on Monday banned Russia for four years from major global sporting events including 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 World Cup in Qatar over manipulated doping data, prompting an angry response from President Vladimir Putin. Many Russian officials have blamed "anti-Russian hysteria" for ban. Lasitskene, who hails from Russian Caucasus and won gold at 2015, 2017 and 2019 World Championships, has previously called on head of Russia's Athletics Federation to resign.

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She has also complained that it was psychologically hard to compete as a neutral. Some of her supporters have suggested on Instagram that she quit Russia and take up different citizenship, but Lasitskene on Monday said she did t plan to obtain a new passport. She said Russian athletics was in poor shape and lamented that body was being held accountable.

"I'd like to kw, what have sports ministry and Russian Olympic Committee done to protect me personally?" she said.

"You created so many commissions but I cant find any reports of ir accomplishments," she added.

"Who is at fault? And who will return to me what I have lost?" 

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