EXCLUSIVE-Olympics-Russian Stepanova will not appeal over Rio ban

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova will not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over her ban on running as an independent athlete at the Rio Olympics, she said on Friday. Stepanova, who helped expose state-backed doping in Russian sport and has fled the country, had been ruled out when the IOC banned from Rio any Russian who had served a doping ban. However, CAS outlawed that decision on Thursday, potentially reopening a way in for her. (Reporting by Ed Osmond)