Russian doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova has become the first athlete to be granted permission to compete at the Rio Olympics under a neutral flag.

The 29-year-old 800m runner passed the "exceptional eligibility" guidelines set out by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

The IAAF voted last month to maintain a global competition ban on the All-Russia Athletic Federation.

Stepanova turned whistleblower after receiving a ban for abnormalities with her biological passport.

She and her husband colluded with a journalist in secretly taping Russian athletes and coaches, which exposed the systemic and state-sponsored doping programme.