The Treatment of Black Female Olympic Athletes

On July 6, USA Track and Field (USATF) excluded sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson from their Olympic roster. This decision comes in the wake of the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) announcement that Richardson had tested positive for marijuana. Despite being in Oregon, a state in which weed is legal, Richardson was banned from competing for a month due to the test results. There was hope that the 21-year-old, who ran a victorious 10.86 100-meter dash during the Olympic trials on June 19, would still be able to compete in the Olympics despite the ban, given the the fact that her suspension would be over by the time the track and field events begin in Tokyo on August 5. USATF’s decision, however, has ended that speculation.

Many view this decision as archaic. Back in 2012, international regulators known as the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) softened restrictions on marijuana usage, reducing positive testing bans from two years to the 30-day suspension Richardson is now serving. What’s more, the anti-doping agency’s criteria for what qualifies as a banned substance includes anything that causes “harm, performance enhancement, or violation of the spirit of sport,” criteria many have pointed out are not just ambiguous, but arguably don’t include marijuana, since it doesn’t enhance athletic performance. The only interpretation that would qualify weed as a banned substance is that it causes harm or violates the spirit of sport, which is incredibly hard to prove — even harder to prove in this particular instance given that Richardson smoked weed to cope with the sudden loss of her biological mother.

Many fans are also confused by the USATF’s decision not to select Richardson to run in the 4x100-meter relay because her suspension will have ended by the time track events are scheduled to begin in Tokyo. While her trial time for the 100-meter dash was nullified because of her positive test, USATF could still have selected Richardson to run in the 4x100-meter relay. There are no relay heats at the Olympic trials, instead USATF selects their fastest runners, creating the best quartet for the 4x100, meaning Richardson would still be eligible for relay selection regardless of her nullified time in the 100-meter dash. USATF explained their decision in a statement released on July 6 that reads, ”First and foremost, we are incredibly sympathetic toward Sha'Carri Richardson’s extenuating circumstances and strongly applaud her accountability — and will offer her our continued support both on and off the track,” adding, “it would be detrimental to the integrity of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track & Field if USATF amended its policies following competition, only weeks before the Olympic Games.”

Despite her seemingly superhuman speed, Richardson, as she tweeted in the wake of her suspension, is only human, and therefore subject to the same throes of emotion and grief as anyone else, “People don’t understand what it’s like to have to … go in front of the world and put on a face and hide my pain,” Richardson stated during a July 5 interview with Today, adding, “Who am I to tell you how to cope when you’re dealing with the pain or you’re dealing with a struggle that you haven’t experienced before or that you thought you never would have to deal with?” Richardson finished by saying that she takes responsibility for her actions. “I know what I did. I know what I’m supposed to do … and I still made that decision,” she said. “Don’t judge me because I am human. I’m you, I just happen to run a little faster.”

On July 2, Nike came out in support of Richardson, who has been a Nike athlete since 2019, stating, “We appreciate Sha’Carri’s honesty and accountability and will continue to support her through this time.”

Richardson is not the only Black female athlete heading to the Tokyo games who have experienced unfair treatment, either. For instance, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) banned the use of swim caps created by U.K. brand Soul Cap, designed specifically for natural Black hair. According to FINA, the caps do not "follow the natural form of the head," an excuse that Soul Cap itself balked at and publicly condemned. “For younger swimmers, feeling included and seeing yourself in a sport at a young age is crucial,” Soul Cap stated on its Instagram. “FINA’s recent dismissal could discourage many younger athletes from pursuing the sport as they progress through local, county and national competitive swimming.” On July 2 FINA released a statement, detailing that their decision to ban the caps is under review, saying, "FINA is committed to ensuring that all aquatics athletes have access to appropriate swimwear for competition where this swimwear does not confer a competitive advantage.”

This is not the first time Black women have been punished for their bodily configuration in the lead-up to the Olympics, either. On July 2, Two Namibian runners, Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi, were banned from all races across the 400-meter to 16,000-meter range after tests revealed higher-than-average testosterone levels. Neither woman used any performance enhancement to boost their testosterone — those were simply their natural levels — but they remain penalized anyway.

All of these cases elicit a similar feeling of Black women being treated cruelly and unfairly based on arbitrary rules. The Olympics is an athletic event, and sports certainly rely on rules, but as long as the rules governing the events continue to unfairly target and negatively affect Black women, the Olympics will be doing a disservice to its fans and its athletes.