‘It’s All in the Skin’: Sha’Carri Richardson Sees Racism Behind Decision to Allow Russian Skater to Compete

Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson believes that racism may have been behind her 2020 Tokyo Olympics ban for marijuana use after the Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was allowed to compete in Beijing after testing positive for the drug trimetazidine.

Sharing a USA Today report about the decision to permit Valieva to compete, Richardson asked on Twitter: “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.”

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

Trimetazidine has been used to treat angina and vertigo but can also increase blood flow while aiding endurance.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled on Monday that Valieva would be allowed to compete after rejecting an appeal from the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency, and the International Skating Union to reinstate a ban on the 15-year-old.  She is now favored to win the singles event that begins on Tuesday, according to AFP.

CAS claimed that “exceptional circumstances,” such as her status as a minor, made Valieva a “protected person” and that a suspension would have caused her “serious damage.”

Though she will be allowed to compete, if she “finishes in the top three of an event, medals will be withheld from her until an investigation into her doping case is concluded,” noted AFP.

“Should Ms. Valieva finish amongst the top three competitors in the Women’s Single Skating competition, no flower ceremony and no medal ceremony will take place during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022,” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Monday.

United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said of the decision: “We are disappointed by the message this decision sends. It is the collective responsibility of the entire Olympic community to protect the integrity of sport and to hold our athletes, coaches, and all involved to the highest of standards.”