Singapore's First Olympic Gold Medalist, Who Bested Michael Phelps, Suspended For Cannabis Use

Joseph Schooling, a swimmer in Singapore and the country’s first Olympic gold medalist, won’t be allowed to compete for some time after he admitted to having consumed marijuana.

"I demonstrated bad judgment and I am sorry," he said.

Schooling won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, beating his childhood idol Michael Phelps and breaking three records — the national, Asian, and Olympic. He swam 100 meters butterfly in just 50.39 seconds. 

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said on Tuesday, that Schooling confessed to using cannabis overseas in May while he was on short-term disruption from full-time National Service (NS) to train for the Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam in May reported BBC.

MINDEF noted that Schooling passed the urine test, but the 27-year-old confessed to using marijuana.

Abusing Disruption Privileges

On the count of abusing his “disruption privileges,” Schooling is no longer allowed to take a leave from his military service to train or compete, the ministry said. Furthermore, he will also be submitted to a supervised urine test regime for six months. If he tests positive, he could be sentenced to up to nine months of military detention. 

Under Singapore law, all male citizens are required to serve around two years of full-time military service, usually starting at the age of 18, unless they are exempted. Schooling's start date has been postponed several times so that he could compete in international competitions. He was enlisted this January. 

Now, the country seems to be divided on the country’s harsh drug laws. 

Some offered understanding for the national champion, justifying his actions by saying that he lost his father last year, and was dealing with a lot of pressure as a professional athlete. BBC reported how people differently responded to the scandal, the comments went from “every young person makes mistakes,” through “this is a nothingburger, many have tried it overseas,” to “it is totally unacceptable as a top sportsman who is supposed to be a national role model.”

If he consumed marijuana in a different country, while not competing what seems to be the problem? 

Singapore’s rules are extremely strict. This is a country that still has a death penalty for drug trafficking, and as such, it also controls the consumption of controlled substances, such as cannabis, not only in the country but also outside. Those who fail urine tests for illegal drugs are facing up to 10 years in prison and a S$20,000 ($14,300) fine.

Schooling took the responsibility for his actions and in a statement apologized to his family and fans.

"I gave in to a moment of weakness after going through a very tough period of my life," he said.

Schooling isn't the only swimmer to come forward. After his confession, Singaporean freestyle swimmer Amanda Lim also admitted to marijuana use. After an investigation, she was warned by the Central Narcotics Bureau.

"There is no excuse, and I will take the warning given to me seriously and reflect on my mistakes," she stated. 

It remains to be seen if these incidents could spark some movements to change harsh Singapore rules around drugs, although it is hard to imagine given the history of the country and its laws. 

On the other side of the globe, however, track star Sha’ Carri Richardson was banned from competing at the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for cannabis in her home state of Oregon, where marijuana is legal.

Following the incident, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced it intends to review the status of cannabis on its banned substance list. 

The scientific review will be conducted by a group that advises WADA in 2022.

“Following receipt of requests from a number of stakeholders, the (executive committee) endorsed the decision of the List Expert Advisory Group to initiate in 2022 a scientific review of the status of cannabis,” a WADA statement read. “Cannabis is currently prohibited in competition and will continue to be in 2022.”

Photo: Benzinga Edit; Sources: Sandro Halank by Wikimedia Commons and Peter Pike by Pixabay