Key Sentence:
- Sha’Kari Richardson’s participation in the Tokyo Olympics is in doubt.
- After a failed drug test as one of the team’s best-selling starlets in the US stands less than a month before his expulsion from the game.
According to Gleaner, Richardson, the US 100 meters champion, tested positive for marijuana at the US Olympics, a Jamaican newspaper in Kingston. It is unclear exactly what steps the 21-year-old will take in the face of the Olympics, which start on July 23.
Richardson’s attorney, Renaldo Nehemiah, a former track star also NFL player, did not respond to emails and voicemails seeking comment. A US athletics spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Cannabis is classified as a substance of abuse by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which administers the Drug Protocol for the International Olympic Committee. Also, a positive test can result in a three-month to four-year ban.
Richardson is scheduled to appear on the NBC Today Show on Friday, according to two acquaintances. NBC paid $4.38 billion for broadcast rights to the 2014-2020 Olympics and later extended the contract to the 2032 Olympics for a total of $7.75 billion.
Richardson tweeted Thursday afternoon without further explanation. Later in the day, Reuters said Sunday’s Diamond League match would not be played in Stockholm, where it is expected to take 200 meters.
Excluding them from the Olympics would be a blow to other players in the US Olympic movement, including Richardson’s main sponsor, Nike. A spokesman for the giant sneakers declined to comment. Light running in the second half of the Olympics is one of the most popular and popular sports. Richardson’s absence could cause suffering for fans and sponsors alike.
“It’s unfortunate that regardless of anyone’s opinion on marijuana if the IOC bans a substance, every top athlete knows that the substance cannot be detected in any sample,” said Rick Burton, the committee’s former head of marketing, in an interview.
“And while the IOC can rule on strong positives/offenses, parties like USOPC, Nike, and NBC have one major reason not to want to lose a potential medallist.” Known for his long nails and brightly colored hair, a tribute to US team legend Florence Griffith Joyner.
Richardson took the stage several years ago as a freshman at LSU and won the national 100 meters title. She turned professional in June 2019 and qualified for her first Olympics last month by winning the US 100 meters trial.
