To maintain its credibility as a proponent of clean sport, the International Olympic Committee must grant Ms. Stepanova the right to compete in Rio independently of Russia. And for the future, the bodies that govern international Olympic competition must establish a new mechanism to protect whistle-blowers like the Stepanovs.

There are currently no rules in the World Anti-Doping Code or the Olympic Charter to protect these vital truth-tellers. The Russian track-and-field scandal could not demonstrate more clearly how much the enforcement of the WADA code in individual countries relies on international governing bodies’ ability to protect whistle-blowers.

WADA alone cannot monitor compliance in every country, and the Russian scandal has exposed grave failures in its governance. But relying on each national federation’s antidoping efforts is clearly problematic. Some countries, like Britain, Canada and the United States, have antidoping bodies with the funding and political capital to police doping effectively, to test and punish athletes who cheat. But others, like Russia, pay lip service to antidoping measures while fostering a culture of cheating.

As we see from the allegations about how antidoping tests at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics were an elaborate charade, it is only through the efforts of principled inside informants like Ms. Stepanova that the truth can come to light. It would make a mockery of the Olympic movement to deny an athlete who has taken enormous personal risks for the cause of clean sport the ability to participate in the Rio Olympics. To do so would, in effect, punish her for speaking the truth and upholding the World Anti-Doping Code and Olympic ideals.

Nearly two decades ago, the establishment of WADA and the adoption of its code were historic steps toward preserving the integrity of clean sport. But Russia’s systemic doping has proved the need for further reform. Whistle-blower protections are the logical next step. Granting Ms. Stepanova the right to participate in Rio would go a long way toward ensuring that the Olympics lived up to the ideals of its charter.

The I.O.C.’s generous move in admitting a refugees’ team matches the spirit of the Games. So let the committee also extend that grace to a runner who has already proved herself an Olympic champion.