Sha’Carri Richardson Calls Out Double Standard After Kamila Valieva Allowed To Compete In Olympics After Testing Positive For Banned Substance

NBC Sports/YouTube

February 15, 2022, 8:10 am

After it was announced that 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva would be allowed to compete in the Olympics despite being in the middle of an investigation after testing positive for a banned substance, it was hard not to see a double standard.

Featured Video Hide

Just last year, Sha’Carri Richardson received a one-month ban and was prohibited from the 100 meter race at the Tokyo Olympics because she tested positive for marijuana — she later said she had smoked after learning her mother had died.

Valieva, on the other hand, tested positive for trimetazidine, which can sometimes increase performance. If the teen wins her event, she won’t receive a medal until an investigation into the positive test is complete.

Advertisement Hide

“Can we get a solid answer on the difference of her situation and mines?” Richardson tweeted on Monday. “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.”

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

Btw THC definitely is not a performance enhance!!!!

— Sha’Carri Richardson (@itskerrii) February 14, 2022

Richardson’s ban was controversial at the time, with many feeling it was uncalled for to ban someone from competing over a substance that is frequently legal and does nothing to enhance performance. However, both THC and trimetazidine are on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of prohibited substances, and were seemingly treated differently in this scenario.

Additionally, Valieva tested positive in December, and it was kept under wraps all this time, whereas Richardson’s results were made public almost right away, which she felt caused her “name & talent [to be] slaughtered to the people.”

Advertisement Hide

One difference of note is that Valieva is underage, and there has been concern that her coaches should be held responsible — Vox cites a “pattern of abusive practices” with skaters under Valieva’s coach, Eteri Tutberidze.

this is genuinely abuse, she treats these girls like they’re disposable and replaceable — which to her, they are. it’s disgusting that she’ll do literally anything to get a gold

— 乐周 (@r4tslime) February 9, 2022

Racism was a part of Sha’Carri Richardson’s experience – being Black didnt help her case at all. But being part of RUSADA (+ later, the protected person status) was the huge difference for Kamila Valieva’s experience. For media to simplify this whole situation is irresponsible

— Jackie Wong (@rockerskating) February 15, 2022

But while things may be trickier to judge under those circumstances, it doesn’t mean that Richardson should have suffered for it, or that racist double standards aren’t at play as well.

We all knew the Olympics was full of shit not giving Sha’Carri Richardson a second chance. pic.twitter.com/UWOSBpuUhm

— 𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓵 𝓢𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 (@Caramel_Angel7) February 14, 2022

I don’t remember anyone considering the “irreparable harm” of suspending Sha’Carri Richardson for smoking pot to cope with her mother’s death. https://t.co/3g2TVXhHSW

— Clayton Collier (@ClaytonJCollier) February 14, 2022

Advertisement Hide

Sha’Carri Richardson: Tests positive for pot (which is not performance enhancing)
•Banned from Olympics

Kamila Valieva: Tests positive for Trimetazidine (which increases blood flow to heart)
•Approved for Olympics

I can’t qwhite put my finger on the difference here pic.twitter.com/kZhJjWIfhI

— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) February 14, 2022

Share this article

*First Published: February 15, 2022, 8:10 am