Federal officials are investigating a Russian sports agent connected to the upcoming New York City Marathon for bribery and corruption, according to a New York Times report. The agent, Andrey Baranov, has not been charged with a crime, but officials are looking into whether he worked with U.S. marathon officials in order to allow runners to use banned substances during the event. According to the Times, Baranov has in the past been considered a whistleblower “who exposed cheating and corruption in track and field.” In an interview with the Times, Baranov denied facilitating doping among athletes competing in the marathon, and said he did not know the investigation was taking place.
