Double Standard, Racism? Sha'Carri Richardson Booted From Olympics For Cannabis, Russian Skater No Problem For Doping

Sha’Carri Richardson is questioning, and her fans are demanding, to understand why Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was allowed to compete in the Olympics while Sha'Carri herself was banned for a similar offense and tossed out of the summer Olympics after testing positive for cannabis. 

On Monday, the court of arbitration for sport (CAS) ruled that 15-year-old Valieva could continue to compete at the Winter Olympics in Beijing despite having registered a positive doping test in December. 

Richardson and her millions of fans would like to know why.

"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," Richardson tweeted.

In its ruling, Cas said banning Valieva “would cause her irreparable harm."

Double Standard

“I don’t remember anyone considering the 'irreparable harm' of suspending Sha’Carri Richardson for smoking pot to cope with her mother’s death,” tweeted ABC Memphis sports anchor Clayton Collier.  

Richardson’s ban was for 30 days, which meant she missed the Olympic 100m in Tokyo, where she was expected to contend for a medal.

Considered the fastest female runner in the world, Richardson is not the only athlete to greet the court’s decision with skepticism, if not anger. 

“How is anyone going to take the women’s event seriously now?” said figure skater Meagan Duhamel, who won team gold for Canada in 2018. “We were just told illegal drugs and abuse are OK. If that is what this sport is about now, I want nothing to do with it. February 14 2022. The day the Olympic spirit died.”

Many are calling the decision a slap in the face to all athletes while others view it more along the lines of Sha'Carri Richardson's view: "The only difference I see is I’m a black young lady."

Photo courtesy of El Planteo