OT: track..update on Sha'Carri Richardson

[Blakeon18]

Sha'Carri is ineligible to run in the 100 meter sprint in Tokyo due to a one month ban for use of marijuana.
The 100 meters race is within that time period. She was still eligible for participating in the 4 by 100 relay...conducted
after the month ban. I see today that the USOC has NOT put her name on the possible relay list...and I assume that means they can't add her
even if minds change. Women on the relay list may have finished behind Sha'Carri in the USA trials but the USOC says that...while they agree that the marijuana rules should be looked at...it isn't fair to the women who did not break the rules to put her on that list.

 

[Blakeon18]

Would a mod please put OT in the title? I did type it in....but no show.

 

[oldude]

This is a difficult subject on many levels. Richardson is far and away the best sprinter in the world right now. Winning the 100 meters at the Olympics for the flamboyant athlete would have been worth millions in endorsements.

Marijuana is legal in many parts of the country and the world. Professional sports leagues no longer suspend athletes who test positive. THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, provides athletes with little to no benefit. Yet, it is on the IOC’s banned substance list.

With that said, Richardson clearly knew the rules heading into the trials, and she had to know that all Olympic qualifiers are subject to drug testing. While I respect the fact that Richardson took responsibility for her actions, and understand that her judgment may have been clouded by the tragic news of her mother’s death, it is almost inconceivable to me that she would risk so much to smoke a joint.

 

[Stinger92860]

What benefit does pot provide to athletes? I know people who get high and then can’t walk or talk.

This is so stupid. If it’s a USOC rule, it should be overturned. If it’s an IOC rule not much you can do.

 

[Pinhead]

"Richardson is far and away the best sprinter in the world right now."

Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah might have dispelled your contention.

 

[Blakeon18]

Some long-ago event may be a bit related here.

When Marion Jones competed in the 1996 Olympics she did so after taking a banned substance.
When that was detected after the events her medals were taken away. Unlike Sha'Carri she denied and denied...personally attacking pretty much anyone and everyone. She finally did admit her violations...maybe in a book to make some dough...a la Pete Rose after his years of denial.

Marion had run in individual events but also in the relays. The IOC [rightly] tossed those results given that a runner on that team
had broken the rules. So Marion's drug use led to her teammates losing their medals as well. I am assuming her teammates were not aware of Marion's drug use. If they were aware [IF] and said nothing then they only have themselves to blame for their disqualification.

I do wonder if the USOC might have feared a repeat use by Sha'Carri and that may well have impacted their decision to not
even nominate her as a possible relay participant...in an effort to not allow her teammates to get screwed as Marion's were.

 

[TheGOAT23]

This is a difficult subject on many levels. Richardson is far and away the best sprinter in the world right now. Winning the 100 meters at the Olympics for the flamboyant athlete would have been worth millions in endorsements.

Marijuana is legal in many parts of the country and the world. Professional sports leagues no longer suspend athletes who test positive. THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, provides athletes with little to no benefit. Yet, it is on the IOC’s banned substance list.

With that said, Richardson clearly knew the rules heading into the trials, and she had to know that all Olympic qualifiers are subject to drug testing. While I respect the fact that Richardson took responsibility for her actions, and understand that her judgment may have been clouded by the tragic news of her mother’s death, it is almost inconceivable to me that she would risk so much to smoke a joint.

I highly doubt that she smoked just one joint. ….or maybe she ate some gummies or brownies.

 

[hoopsfan22]

It's a WADA banned substance. The end.

 

[Plebe]

This is a difficult subject on many levels. Richardson is far and away the best sprinter in the world right now. Winning the 100 meters at the Olympics for the flamboyant athlete would have been worth millions in endorsements.

Far and away the best in the US? I'd say yes. But not in the world. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce holds the fastest time in the world this year and would've been the favorite in Tokyo even if Richardson were still running. And Elaine Thompson-Herah has the second-fastest time of the year (0.01 ahead of Richardson's best time).

Even with Richardson in the field, the Jamaicans were a threat to sweep the medal podium, and now I'd say they're favored to do so. Shericka Jackson's transition from the 400 to the short sprints has been stunningly successful.

 

[EricLA]

This is a difficult subject on many levels. Richardson is far and away the best sprinter in the world right now. Winning the 100 meters at the Olympics for the flamboyant athlete would have been worth millions in endorsements.

Marijuana is legal in many parts of the country and the world. Professional sports leagues no longer suspend athletes who test positive. THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, provides athletes with little to no benefit. Yet, it is on the IOC’s banned substance list.

With that said, Richardson clearly knew the rules heading into the trials, and she had to know that all Olympic qualifiers are subject to drug testing. While I respect the fact that Richardson took responsibility for her actions, and understand that her judgment may have been clouded by the tragic news of her mother’s death, it is almost inconceivable to me that she would risk so much to smoke a joint.

FWIW I agree. As to being the best sprinter, I think what you meant is that she has (one of) the fastest times in the world this year? Not sure that she was far and away the best, but IIRC, most likely one of the favorites to win gold?

It's such a bummer for her obviously, as a fan, as a USA supporter, and for the sport in general. Not since Bolt has there been such a feisty and flamboyant "fastest person in the world" sprinter.

I'm actually disappointed in US track and field - the 1 months suspension, while technically the "rules" - meant she had to miss the individual race, but not the relays. IMHO they should have added her to the relay team.

 

[Husky25]

What benefit does pot provide to athletes? I know people who get high and then can’t walk or talk.

This is so stupid. If it’s a USOC rule, it should be overturned. If it’s an IOC rule not much you can do.

@TheGOAT23 response reminded me that NFL Players make no secret that they use weed for healing and pain killing purposes. They also know pretty much exactly when they are going to get tested.

 

[Plebe]

@TheGOAT23 response reminded me that NFL Players make no secret that they use weed for healing and pain killing purposes. They also know pretty much exactly when they are going to get tested.

Speaking of ... here are a couple of former NFL'ers reacting to Richardson's positive test and suspension. I found their comments well taken.

 

[Ace565]

The IOC bans all substances not normally within your body that might provide a competitive edge. NFL football players use it to mitigate pain. Running at the edge of a person's threshold can cause pain and small amounts of marijuana can relive that pain to push the body past ones threshold. IOC ensures all athletes are on a level playing field. The IOC can't put her on the relay list because she is banned for one month. She must come off the ban and pass another drug test to be reinstated. Until that happens she can't be put on the list.

 

[ChampHusky]

What benefit does pot provide to athletes? I know people who get high and then can’t walk or talk.

This is so stupid. If it’s a USOC rule, it should be overturned. If it’s an IOC rule not much you can do.

The rule is made by the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA), and enforced in the US by USADA. The USOPC does not make the rule. USATF, the NGB for track and field, determines which athletes are on the team. I agree the rule needs revisiting.

 

[oldude]

What benefit does pot provide to athletes? I know people who get high and then can’t walk or talk.

This is so stupid. If it’s a USOC rule, it should be overturned. If it’s an IOC rule not much you can do.

THC has a number of medical uses, including reducing inflammation. Athletes who train hard frequently deal with muscle soreness and inflammation. However, athletes can pretty much gain the same benefits from taking aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen, all of which are legal and approved for use by the IOC.

 

[Adesmar123]

Sha'Carri is ineligible to run in the 100 meter sprint in Tokyo due to a one month ban for use of marijuana.
The 100 meters race is within that time period. She was still eligible for participating in the 4 by 100 relay...conducted
after the month ban. I see today that the USOC has NOT put her name on the possible relay list...and I assume that means they can't add her
even if minds change. Women on the relay list may have finished behind Sha'Carri in the USA trials but the USOC says that...while they agree that the marijuana rules should be looked at...it isn't fair to the women who did not break the rules to put her on that list.

So if I have this right, an Olympic level athlete who has been in the highest levels of competition for years (along with pre olympic training) knowingly violates a rule that would get her banned and we are supposed to feel bad for her when she is banned?

I don't care what the rule is or what anyone thinks of it. She is responsible for breaking that rule knowing what would result.

How does she in any way seek or deserve pity?

 

[oldude]

So if I have this right, an Olympic level athlete who has been in the highest levels of competition for years (along with pre olympic training) knowingly violates a rule that would get her banned and we are supposed to feel bad for her when she is banned?

I don't care what the rule is or what anyone thinks of it. She is responsible for breaking that rule knowing what would result.

How does she in any way seek or deserve pity?

Where in the OP is there any suggestion that Richardson is seeking or deserves pity?

 

[Adesmar123]

Where in the OP is there any suggestion that Richardson is seeking or deserves pity?

Where in my post did I say she did, or the OP did? I asked a rhetorical question.

 

[oldude]

Where in my post did I say she did, or the OP did? I asked a rhetorical question.

Considering that Richardson accepted responsibility for her actions, I’m not quite sure what the purpose of your rhetorical question is?

 

[Adesmar123]

Considering that Richardson accepted responsibility for her actions, I’m not quite sure what the purpose of your rhetorical question is?

It was to ask a rhetorical question. I'm sorry you disagree. And truthfully I am not concerned that you aren't sure of it's purpose.

 

[oldude]

It was to ask a rhetorical question. I'm sorry you disagree. And truthfully I am not concerned that you aren't sure of it's purpose.

The definition of a rhetorical question is, “a question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point, rather than to get an answer.” Richardson made a really bad decision that I’m sure she feels absolutely terrible about. Your rhetorical question strikes me as piling on, particularly after Richardson accepted responsibility for her actions.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Her banning is just so wrong. Cannabis is not a performance-enhancing drug, as everyone knows. Connecticut just legalized cannabis for adults, becoming one of fully 20 American states in which it is legal. Moreover, cannabis is legal across the entire nation of Canada. And Mexico's supreme court just took the step "toward ending marijuana prohibition nationally after the legislature failed to enact the policy change by a court-imposed deadline."

Mexico’s Supreme Court Moves To End Marijuana Prohibition Itself After Lawmakers Fail To Act

Mexico’s Supreme Court has taken a step toward ending marijuana prohibition nationally after the legislature failed to enact the policy change by a court-imposed deadline. Minister Norma Lucía Piña Hernández, who serves on the high court, recently filed a general declaration of...

www.marijuanamoment.net

I"m guessing that the suspension of this tremendous athlete for something as ridiculous as using pot will result in WADA's taking cannabis off the banned substance list. How very sad that that young lady had to suffer for a rule that is so absurd.

 

[JordyG]

This is a difficult subject on many levels. Richardson is far and away the best sprinter in the world right now. Winning the 100 meters at the Olympics for the flamboyant athlete would have been worth millions in endorsements.

Marijuana is legal in many parts of the country and the world. Professional sports leagues no longer suspend athletes who test positive. THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, provides athletes with little to no benefit. Yet, it is on the IOC’s banned substance list.

With that said, Richardson clearly knew the rules heading into the trials, and she had to know that all Olympic qualifiers are subject to drug testing. While I respect the fact that Richardson took responsibility for her actions, and understand that her judgment may have been clouded by the tragic news of her mother’s death, it is almost inconceivable to me that she would risk so much to smoke a joint.

Agreed. I hate (hate) to see it and I hate to say it. No matter how much you disagreed with the rule, how much you think they're antiquated, unreasonable or misguided, they are the rules, and everyone is expected to be guided by them. More than anything I would love to see Richardson dominate the Olympics as she would have, but that is not to be. Yes, I would like the IOC to suddenly grow a pair, change the rules, and take marijuana off the performance enhancement list. But this committee moves slowly (I would say glacially), and though this herb may ultimately be crossed off the list, that ain't happening tomorrow.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

So if I have this right, an Olympic level athlete who has been in the highest levels of competition for years (along with pre olympic training) knowingly violates a rule that would get her banned and we are supposed to feel bad for her when she is banned?

I don't care what the rule is or what anyone thinks of it. She is responsible for breaking that rule knowing what would result.

How does she in any way seek or deserve pity?

It's a stupid rule. Never should have been enacted. It's cruel. It's dumb. The rule should be eliminated, and that athlete permitted to compete.

 

[Plebe]

Her banning is just so wrong. Cannabis is not a performance-enhancing drug, as everyone knows. Connecticut just legalized cannabis for adults, becoming one of fully 20 American states in which it is legal. Moreover, cannabis is legal across the entire nation of Canada. And Mexico's supreme court just took the step "toward ending marijuana prohibition nationally after the legislature failed to enact the policy change by a court-imposed deadline."

Mexico’s Supreme Court Moves To End Marijuana Prohibition Itself After Lawmakers Fail To Act

Mexico’s Supreme Court has taken a step toward ending marijuana prohibition nationally after the legislature failed to enact the policy change by a court-imposed deadline. Minister Norma Lucía Piña Hernández, who serves on the high court, recently filed a general declaration of...

www.marijuanamoment.net

I"m guessing that the suspension of this tremendous athlete for something as ridiculous as using pot will result in WADA's taking cannabis off the banned substance list. How very sad that that young lady had to suffer for a rule that is so absurd.

Many red herrings here.

Legality of usage in broader society is irrelevant. Just to give one example, there are all sorts of over-the-counter drugs that contain stimulants on the WADA "prohibited list".

"Performance-enhancing" is also irrelevant. Cannabinoids are categorized by WADA as a "substance of abuse" (along with cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, etc.) and are only "prohibited in-competition" (as opposed to, say, anabolic steroids, which are "prohibited at all times")

Richardson is suspended not because of the absurdity of the rule, which is also irrelevant. She's suspended because (as she herself admits) she lacked the discipline and self-control to refrain from consuming a substance that she knew was banned in competition. Elite athletes in drug-tested sports have the responsibility to be meticulous, obsessive even, about everything they put in their bodies.

If there's one thing that I find encouraging for the rest of her career, it's that she's owning her mistake and not trying to shift the blame onto the rule for being stupid.