After heaps of controversy surrounding the Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s failed dope test during the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) did allow Valieva to continue per participation at the ongoing Games. The decision has raised eyebrows all around, including Sha’Carri Richardson, the sprinter who had also failed her dope test ahead of the Tokyo Olympics last year and was dropped from the event.
It was revealed that traces of the banned heart drug Trimetazidine, also known as TMZ, was found in the urine samples of Valieva. TMZ is categorized under World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of prohibited substances as “hormone and metabolic modulator” since 2014, and both its in and out of competition use is illegal for athletes. Valieva’s legal team had cited that the positive test was possibly due to her grandfather’s heart medication and claimed that she could have been contaminated from a glass of water that contained traces of the substance.
Track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson questions the decision to let Kamila Valieva continue while she wasn’t
The Tokyo Olympic Games last year saw US track and field icon Sha’Carri Richardson being dropped from the event after she tested positive for marijuana, as traces of the illegal substance was detected in the sprinter’s sample which was collected at the Olympic Trials. Richardson was eventually dropped out of the US 4×100 relay team.
Following the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing on Sunday which granted Valieva clearance to continue at the Winter Games, Richardson took to Twitter to question the decision, stating that while the Russian teen is able to continue and she was not is due to her skin colour.
“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.
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. https://t.co/JtUfmp3F8L
— Sha’Carri Richardson (@itskerrii) February 14, 2022
Highlights:
- US track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson questions the decision to let Kamila Valieva continue her participation despite failing her drug test during the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics
- Richardson was tested positive for marijuana before the Tokyo Olympic Games last year and was dropped from the out of the US 4×100 relay team
