United States sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson is questioning Olympic and anti-doping officials on whether there is a double standard following Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s return to competition Tuesday. Valieva tested positive for a banned substance last week.
Richardson was barred from competing in the Tokyo Olympics this past summer after testing positive for THC, the intoxicant in marijuana. Conversely, Valieva was reinstated Monday despite testing positive for trimetazidine, a banned heart medication that is also known to affect endurance and blood flow.
“Can we get a solid answer on the difference of her situation and mines?” Richardson asked on Twitter, drawing attention to her stated reason for smoking marijuana. “My mother died and I can’t run and was also favored to place top 3. The only difference I see is I’m a black young lady.”
Can we get a solid answer on the difference of her situation and mines? My mother died and I can’t run and was also favored to place top 3. The only difference I see is I’m a black young lady. https://t.co/JtUfmp3F8L
— Sha’Carri Richardson (@itskerrii) February 14, 2022
Richardson added, “Not one BLACK athlete has been about to compete with a case going on, I don’t care what they say!!!”
Not one BLACK athlete has been about to compete with a case going on, I don’t care what they say!!!
— Sha’Carri Richardson (@itskerrii) February 14, 2022
The Court of Arbitration for Sport, the governing body that decides international sport disputes, ruled in Valieva’s favor after her lawyers argued she accidentally took the medication through a product her grandfather uses.
Richardson called out the double standard, tweeting that THC is not a performance-enhancing drug like trimetazidine.
“It’s all in the skin,” she said.
It’s all in the skin
— Sha’Carri Richardson (@itskerrii) February 14, 2022
RUSSIAN SKATER REPORTEDLY TESTS POSITIVE FOR BANNED DRUG
The International Olympic Committee said that while Valieva is allowed to compete, she will do so with an asterisk next to her name and a medal ceremony will not be held if she finishes on the podium.
The ruling’s explanation has not quelled the criticism.
Human rights lawyer Qasim Rashid compared the two athletes’ situations on Twitter.
Sha’Carri Richardson: Tests positive for pot (which is not performance enhancing)
•Banned from OlympicsKamila Valieva: Tests positive for Trimetazidine (which increases blood flow to heart)
•Approved for OlympicsI can’t qwhite put my finger on the difference here? pic.twitter.com/kZhJjWIfhI
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) February 14, 2022
“I can’t qwhite put my finger on the difference here,” he said.
Another Twitter user called for the IOC to apologize to Richardson.
I’m sorry, but Sha’Carri Richardson was banned from competing in the Olympics because of weed. If the IOC lets Kamila Valieva (and ROC) keep her Gold and compete after using a PED, we got problems. pic.twitter.com/mVSUunAq6V
— ✌?Andy Splatz✌? (@AndySplatz) February 10, 2022
“I’m sorry, but Sha’Carri Richardson was banned from competing in the Olympics because of weed,” Andy Splatz tweeted. “If the IOC lets Kamila Valieva (and ROC) keep her Gold and compete after using a PED, we got problems.”
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The ladies’ figure skating competition will continue Thursday with the long program.
