Sha'Carri Richardson Points to Double Standard After Kamila Valieva Cleared

U.S. Olympic sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson pointed to a double standard for Olympic athletes after Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was allowed to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics despite testing positive for a banned substance.

"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 on Monday.

Richardson's comments come shortly after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against imposing a suspension for Valieva. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency previously suspended her after she tested positive for trimetazidine, a medication that is used to increase blood flow to the heart.

In a statement, the Court of Arbitration for Sport's Director General Matthieu Reeb cited Valieva's age as a reason why the suspension was denied.

"The athlete should benefit from the following exceptional circumstances: She is under 16 and a protected person under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code," Reeb said.

Richardson, who was suspended from competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics after testing positive for THC, went on to criticize the decision shortly after it was announced.

"It's all in the skin," Richardson wrote, adding in a subsequent tweet that THC, the chemical compound found in marijuana, is not a performance-enhancing drug.

"Not one BLACK athlete has been about to compete with a case going on, I don't care what they say!!!," Richardson tweeted following the decision.

Several other former Olympians also criticized the decision to allow Valieva to compete.

"This is a slap in the face to the Olympic Games, to our sport, and to every athlete that's ever competed at the Olympics clean," former Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir said during an interview with NBC Sports' Mike Tirico.

During an appearance on CNN's New Day, Olympic ice-dancer Kaitlyn Weaver responded to the decision by saying, "my heart goes out to Sha'Carri Richardson."

"What about the people who can't compete because of the same rules?" Weaver added.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also responded to the decision saying that there will be no medal ceremony if Valieva wins a medal in the women's single skating competition.

"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 IOC said.

In a statement issued on Monday, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee said they were "disappointed" by the decision made.

"Athletes have the right to know they are competing on a level playing field. Unfortunately, today that right is being denied. This appears to be another chapter in the systemic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by Russia," the statement said.

Newsweek reached out to the IOC for further comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.