Seppelt agreed to a five-minute interview in a hotel room in the city of Cologne.
The first question from the Russian journalist is about Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko and why Hajo Seppelt was referring to him not by his official title but by the term “Putin’s Minister.”
While answering to this question the German journalist seems to be quite calm and composed, patiently explaining that he called him a Minister of Sport several times, but because he is under Mr. Putin, he simply called him Putin’s Minister.
The interview then continues more or less without incident until Skabeyeva asks Seppelt to provide the records he used to make his report on the Russian government’s involvement in the ongoing doping scandal.
Seppelt refuses, saying that he does not have them with him and that he is actually surprised by the request.
Then Skabeyeva asks Seppelt a question about whether he has been paid to make these documentary films.
Seppelt answers no, further explaining that he is not someone’s agent but a journalist calling on others to investigate for themselves about doping in Russia in the hope that they will find something that Minister Mutko wouldn’t like.
The interview is still going normally.
Something starts going visibly wrong when Skabeyeva once again asks him to provide the evidence for his accusations adding that it is “very important for us” as “we might not be able to go to the Olympics.”
Seppelt, already slightly annoyed, replies that this has nothing to do with her, asking her if she is friends with the athletes.
She says that she is trying to be “a friend to her country.” The German journalist replies that she “does not have to be a friend of her country” because she is a journalist and has to be independent.
What happens next is a series of threats and harassment.
First of all, Seppelt throws the journalist’s microphone out of his hotel room.
This is soon followed by the tripod.
The German journalist declares the interview is over, adding that Skabeyeva shouldn’t be proud of her country and calls her “stupid.”
“You Russian journalists who are proud of their country, you are stupid,” says Seppelt clearly annoyed.
“You don’t need to be proud, you need to be consistent,” he says, flaring up. “You have a system steeped in cheating and corruption.”
When Olga asks once again for the evidence, Seppelt pushes her cameraman, and then her, out of his room.
The conversation continues outside the hotel room with the camera still on but fixed on a door, with Seppelt hotly explaining why ‘Russia is so bad, bad, bad.”
The footage then returns back into the room before the crew was pushed out of it with Seppelt threatening to call the police if the crew does not leave.
Skabeyeva is next seen asking to be let back upstairs to retrieve her purse, with the cameraman still filming. Seppelt rushes to the camera covering it with his hand. It appears that he has hit the camera because a clapping sound is heard, and Skabeyeva gasps loudly.
The brawl continues outside the hotel with the German journalist nervously pacing around the entrance, talking on the phone and threatening to call the police.
Skabeyeva says he was chasing the crew for another 30 minutes refusing to give back their microphone.
Hajo Seppelt’s film “Doping Secret: Showdown for Russia,” was aired by German broadcaster ARD/WDR on Wednesday night. This is the fourth documentary to accuse Russian authorities of covering up doping offences.
While being vague and offering no actual proof, the documentary was aired right before the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is due to convene to decide if Russian track and field athletes can compete at this summer’s Rio Olympics following the doping scandal.
The decision will be made at an IAAF council meeting in Vienna on June 17.
