The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has hit back at accusations made by athlete Sha’Carri Richardson over the Kamila Valieva doping case.
Valieva, 15, was deemed eligible to continue competing in the ongoing Winter Olympics after a doping test came back positive earlier this month.
The Russian figure skater claimed the result was due to a mix-up with her grandfather's heart medication, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said its decision to allow her to continue was in part due to 'serious issues' in the process of revealing the result of the test, which was taken in December.
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In response to the decision, Richardson took to Twitter to demand a 'solid answer on the difference' between her situation and that of Valieva. Richardson missed out on the Tokyo Olympics last summer after testing positive for marijuana.
The American sprinter added, 'The only difference I see is I’m a Black young lady. It’s all in the skin.'
In another tweet, she wrote, 'Failed in December and the world just now know however my result was posted within a week and my name & talent was slaughtered to the people.'
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IOC spokesperson Mark Adams has denied the implications of racism in a statement in which he claimed there were no similarities between the two cases, saying, 'You can’t talk about double standards in relation to Russian and American athletes, each case is individual.'
Per The Independent, he continued, 'Richardson’s positive doping test was discovered on 19 June, and the result was received before the start of the Olympics. She was suspended for a month. There is nothing in common between these two cases. This Games, which has not concluded, concerns an issue in December.'
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Adams went on to say it must be 'very tough' for Valieva to be 'in the centre of a lot of speculation', adding, 'We of course are in touch with the team, her welfare is the team’s first priority, and obviously we are very careful of that but there’s only so much that we can do.'
The result of Valieva's drug test was not revealed until after she had already competed in a team event at the games. In an interview with Russia's Channel One, the teenager said the days following the revelation had been 'very difficult' for her', saying, 'It's as if I don't have any emotions left. I am happy but at the same time I am emotionally tired.'
The IOC has said it will not hold a medal ceremony for the team skating event until the question of whether Valieva violated anti-doping rules has been resolved.
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Emily Brown