IOC Reacts To Sha’Carri Richardson Claiming A Double Standard In Kamila Valieva Drug Controversy
Earlier this week, track athlete Sha’Carri Richardson questioned why she was suspended from competing in Olympic games for failing a drug test while Kamila Valieva, a 15-year-old Russian figure skater, was allowed to compete after testing positive for a banned drug. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has now responded.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said at a Feb. 16 press conference, "Every single case is very different. [Richardson] tested positive on June 19 [2021], quite a way ahead of the Tokyo Games. Her results came in early order for USADA to deal with the case on time, before the games. Ms. Richardson accepted a one month period of ineligibility which began on June 28. I would suggest that there isn't a great deal of similarity between the two cases."
Richardson, 21, was suspended for 30 days last July after testing positive for marijuana, which came a month after she won the 100-meter race at the U.S. track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon.
The 21-year-old up-and-coming track star said she turned to marijuana to cope with the death of her mother, whose passing she learned of at the trials. The 30-day suspension prevented her from competing in the 100 meters last summer at the Tokyo Olympic Games, where she was expected to be a contender for a gold medal.
Valieva, who had been favored to win gold to win gold, struggled to complete her free skate routine. Four times she tripped or fell, eventually landing in 4th place and out of placement for any medal. After the performance, Valieva sobbed as her coaches tried to console the teen on the sidelines.
