Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian figure skater who tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Beijing Olympics, will still be allowed to compete in her event, officials announced Monday. If she wins, however, no medal ceremony will be held until the investigation is complete.
Arbitrators said the decision was because the athlete is considered “a protected person” due to her age, adding that it would be unfair to suspend her and would cause her “irreparable harm.” Valieva, who is seen as the favorite to win the women’s singles event starting Tuesday, tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication that may boost stamina.
The decision drummed up widespread outcry, particularly because of Russia’s history of Olympic doping scandals.
But the ruling also raised comparisons to another recent Olympic drug testing incident — one that was handled very differently for another athlete who, like Valieva, was favored to win her event.
In July 2021, US track star Sha’Carri Richardson was disqualified from the 100-meter race at the Tokyo Olympics and faced a one-month ban after testing positive for cannabis. The 21-year-old athlete said she used it to cope with her mother’s death.
In an interview on NBC’s Today show after she was disqualified, Richardson apologized for her actions and explained she had ingested cannabis after the news of her mother’s death sent her into an “emotional panic.”
“I want to take responsibility for my actions,” Richardson said. “I know what I did, I know what I’m supposed to do, what I’m allowed not to do, and I still made that decision.”
Following Monday’s ruling, Richardson questioned why she lost her chance to compete at the Olympics, but Valieva won’t, suggesting there was racial bias in the decisions.
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/juliareinstein/shacarri-richardson-kamila-valieva-doping-olympics