{"product_id":"9781471158186-russian-affair","title":"The Russian Affair","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe True Story of the Couple who Uncovered the Greatest Sporting Scandal\u003cbr\u003eThe extraordinary inside story of the couple who risked it all to reveal the scale of the doping and corruption in Russia, leading to one of the greatest sporting scandals of all time\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE 2020\u003cbr\u003e 'Reads like a thriller, or even a spy novel.Walsh keeps you gripped' Rosamund Urwin, \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A turbulent but ultimately inspiring tale\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003eThe candour.is\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003erare and gripping' Matt Dickinson, \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIt was the story that shocked the world: Russian athletics was revealed to be corrupt from top to bottom, with institutionalised doping used to help the nation's athletes win medals they did not deserve. But the full story of the couple who blew the whistle has never been told - until now.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When Russian anti-doping official \u003cb\u003eVitaly Stepanov\u003c\/b\u003e met the young 800m athlete \u003cb\u003eYuliya Rusanova\u003c\/b\u003e, for him it was \u003cb\u003elove at first sight\u003c\/b\u003e. Within two months, they were married. But there was a problem – in fact, there were lots of problems. She admitted \u003cb\u003eshe was doping\u003c\/b\u003e and that everyone else was doping, and she let him know that she came from a dark place …\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e It could all have brought a very swift end to a very hasty marriage, but gradually the Stepanovs began to realise that whatever you did, the system in Russia was stacked against you. In the end, the only ones they could rely upon were each other. Fully aware of the risks they were taking, they decided to turn the tables on those who had manipulated them and \u003cb\u003echeated the sporting world\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The result of their investigative work sent shockwaves around the planet and led to Russia’s athletes being banned from world sport, while the Stepanovs themselves had to go into hiding. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Russian Affair\u003c\/i\u003e is a gripping true-life drama that at times reads like a spy novel and at others like an epic love story. But, at the centre of it all, is a quietly determined couple who knew that if they stood together they could shine a light on a corrupt system and bring it crashing to the ground.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39496983642209,"sku":"9781471158186","price":7.39,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_31850471.jpg?v=1734681952","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781471158186-russian-affair","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}