Many of us recall the conversations last year, surrounding U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension following a positive cannabis test, ultimately sparking an international conversation about global sports policy and athletes using cannabis, even a scientific review of the policy by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Now, the decision to allow a Russian skater to continue participating in the 2022 Olympic Games, despite the fact that she tested positive for a banned performance-enhancement drug, has reignited the conversation.
Richardson openly questioned why she faced consequences, while Russian skater Kamila Valieva is being allowed to compete even after testing positive for a banned substance. She indicated on Twitter that she was confused by the double standard in a quote-tweet. The original tweet from USA TODAY quotes journalist Christine Brennan, calling the decision to allow Valieva to continue competition “is just a slap in the face to all of those athletes doing it the right way.”
“Can we get a solid answer on the difference of her situation and mines?” Richardson wrote. “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.” She tweeted later, “It’s all in the skin,” and “Btw THC definitely is not a performance enhance!!!!”
Valieva tested positive for using trimetazidine, which is known to increase exercise duration and improve cardiac performance, which could have helped her earlier this month, like in the historic landing of the first quadruple jumps made by a woman in an Olympic event.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which operates in compliance with international athletes rules, made the decision on Richardson’s suspension. Conversely, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) temporarily suspended Valieva after the results of her positive drug test were disclosed. The test was conducted in December, leaving questions about the timing of the release of information, but the RUSADA later lifted the temporary suspension, prompting challenges by WADA, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Skating Union (ISU).
On Friday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which works to resolve these kinds of Olympic disputes, rejected the challenges, though some penalties were imposed by the IOC, including no medal ceremony held for her event should she finish in the top three.
Richardson noted that race may have played a factor in the different outcomes, but CAS said the reason the 15-year-old skater faced a different outcome was because she is a minor and therefore a “protected person,” subject to a different standard under WADA code.
“The RUSADA Anti-Doping Rules and the WADC are silent with respect to provisional suspension imposed on protected persons, while these rules have specific provisions for different standards of evidence and for lower sanctions in the case of protected persons,” it said.
It continues, noting that the CAS ad Hoc Division was requested to determine whether a provisional suspension should be imposed on Valieva, rather than a ruling on the merits of the case or the legal consequences relating to the team results.
