Sha’Carri Richardson Questions Why Kamila Valieva Can Compete in Olympics After Failing a Drug Test

Sha’Carri Richardson is calling out a double standard in Olympic sports.

On Monday, February 14, the International Olympic Committee decided Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva can continue competing in the Beijing Winter Games after testing positive for a banned drug. The IOC’s ruling raised a lot of questions for Richardson, who was barred from the Tokyo Summer Games after testing positive for marijuana.

“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 wrote on Twitter on Monday morning.

The 21-year-old became a nationwide sensation after winning the 100-meter final at the 2021 U.S Trials, just a week after her biological mother passed away. She had secured her spot on the U.S. women’s team for the Tokyo Olympics, but was banned from competing after a positive drug test resulted in a one-month suspension.

Richardson said that she used marijuana to cope with the death of her biological mother. Yesterday, she pointed out that the drug is not performance-enhancing, yet within a week she was barred. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Valieva tested positive in December for trimetazidine — a substance believed to boost athletes’ stamina — but was cleared to compete.

“Failed in December and the world just now know however my resulted was posted within a week and my name & talent was slaughtered to the people,” Richardson wrote.

According to The New York Times, Valieva was tested on December 25 but her results were not verified until February 7 — three days after the Olympics had started. Valieva had already competed and helped the Russian Olympic Committee win gold in the team figure skating competition. Richardson condemned the inequity on Twitter.

“Not one BLACK athlete has been about to compete with a case going on, I don’t care what they say!!!,” she wrote.

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