OT: track..update on Sha'Carri Richardson

[Postie]

Richardson is not the best sprinter in the world.She has lost this year to Dina Asher Smith of Great Britain.She does not have the best time in the world this year that belongs to Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce of Jamaica.Another great sprinter is Elaine Thompson also of Jamaica.Yes I would like it settled on the track but it is no lick that she would win.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

All sorts of 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.

Should we eliminate from competition anyone who drank a beer between workouts, or after a big win? Of course not. There comes a time when ridiculous is ridiculous, everyone knows it, and changes should be made to the rule.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

In fact, WADA doesn't even claim the drug is performance-enhancing. According to USAToday, "in the case of marijuana, a 2011 academic paper co-authored by WADA's science director offers some explanation. In the paper, the authors write that athletes who smoke marijuana could endanger theselves or others because of "slower reaction times and poor executive function." They write that marijuana use "is not consistent with the athlete as a role model for young people around the world." And they indicate that the drug might help athletes focus or relieve the stress of competition, thereby giving them a leg up on the field of play....

"In contrast, a 2017 review of academic literature on the subject found that the main ingredient in marijuana, THC, "does not enhance aerobic exercise or strength."

Why does WADA ban marijuana? Making sense of Sha'Carri Richardson's suspension 'a frustrating enterprise'

Before understanding why marijuana triggered Sha'Carri Richardson's suspension, it's important to understand how anti-doping protocols work.

www.usatoday.com

So it's about protecting the athletes? Come on!!! That's as ridiculous as all the other excuses given by the federal government for keeping it illegal. No one's buying it anymore.

 

[MooseJaw]

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.

Not sure where the thought came from that THC is equal to aspirin or the others you have mentioned. Many are unable to take aspirin or like products and Tylenol is a weak alternative. For those able to take over the counter remedies they may offer temporary relief or they may not. Experience and 2 years of classes in sports medicine teach that the best relief comes from icing the affected areas and elevating the body part if possible. What Ms. Richardson talked about was nothing of the kind and seemed to be from a form of depression. I have heard that she used an edible with THC as an ingredient, It is hard to believe that out of the blue a light blub type effect went off in her head and the answer to her condition was an edible. Something she had to know would end her quest for the gold.
I have sympathy for any who loose a loved family member or beloved friend. This in no way excuses what she did knowing what the rules were. While many of us think the rules are outdated and archaic, they are still the rules and had to be enforced. She has accepted responsibility. lost her chance for personnel glory and weakened our team. The real debate as I see it: the the age old debate on the use of weed or now refined THC. That said I see no reason to continue the ban on THC. Yes there are times and places to restrict it just as in alcohol. Oldude your statement that athletes pretty much gain the same benefits from your listed items as from THC is a debate I would welcome. I know that it is for people with far more knowledge than I have, a debate that has been around for a long time. The debate over the general use of the drug has been around for over a century, it's time to leave the dark ages and accept THC for what it is, time to quit trying to control people.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Not sure where the thought came from that THC is equal to aspirin or the others you have mentioned. Many are unable to take aspirin or like products and Tylenol is a weak alternative. For those able to take over the counter remedies they may offer temporary relief or they may not. Experience and 2 years of classes in sports medicine teach that the best relief comes from icing the affected areas and elevating the body part if possible. What Ms. Richardson talked about was nothing of the kind and seemed to be from a form of depression. I have heard that she used an edible with THC as an ingredient, It is hard to believe that out of the blue a light blub type effect went off in her head and the answer to her condition was an edible. Something she had to know would end her quest for the gold.
I have sympathy for any who loose a loved family member or beloved friend. This in no way excuses what she did knowing what the rules were. While many of us think the rules are outdated and archaic, they are still the rules and had to be enforced. She has accepted responsibility. lost her chance for personnel glory and weakened our team. The real debate as I see it: the the age old debate on the use of weed or now refined THC. That said I see no reason to continue the ban on THC. Yes there are times and places to restrict it just as in alcohol. Oldude your statement that athletes pretty much gain the same benefits from your listed items as from THC is a debate I would welcome. I know that it is for people with far more knowledge than I have, a debate that has been around for at least a century.

In fact, the state of Connecticut empaneled a group of board-certified physicians who have named dozens of conditions for which cannabis may be prescribed. Today in Connecticut, fully 58,000 people are being prescribed cannabis for a range of illnesses and conditions, including multiple sclerosis, nausea due to chemotherapy for cancer, and many others, and have been for eight years.

So can anyone say with a straight face that cannabis is a dangerous drug when tens of thousands of people are using it under doctors' directions? Nonsense!

 

[Adesmar123]

In fact, the state of Connecticut empaneled a group of board-certified physicians who have named dozens of conditions for which cannabis may be prescribed. Today in Connecticut, fully 58,000 people are being prescribed cannabis for a range of illnesses and conditions, including multiple sclerosis, nausea due to chemotherapy for cancer, and many others, and have been for eight years.

So can anyone say with a straight face that cannabis is a dangerous drug when tens of thousands of people are using it under doctors' directions? Nonsense!

Interesting response, when questioned attack the person. Ad hominem attacks are all the rage in current society.

 

[Husky25]

I don't see many arguing whether pot is dangerous or not. It's against the rules set up by a governing body. Ricky Moore and Kirk King were suspended in 1996 for accepting a plane ticket home for the holidays. It was a dumb rule then and will be pretty much 100% legal for this upcoming season, but a rule was broken and they paid the consequences, in missed games.

Not much difference here.

 

[Plebe]

Should we eliminate from competition anyone who drank a beer between workouts, or after a big win? Of course not. There comes a time when ridiculous is ridiculous, everyone knows it, and changes should be made to the rule.

Beer is not on the prohibited list. So to answer your question, no.
Pot is. Big difference.

 

[HuskyNan]

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.

If Richardson were the, say, 200th best sprinter in the country, would you be as outraged?

I‘m not addressing @Fairfield Fan but musing, why are rules applied to top performers deemed stupid but the average schmoe can get bounced for the same reason without any fanfare whatsoever? We’re hearing about Richardson but she’s a star in her sport. Who else failed the test and why haven’t we heard anything about them to stir up the outrage machine on Twitter? Is the anti-pot rule bad or is it only bad when it affects a star?

 

[LwrcasefaN]

As far as her current circumstance, there really is no argument. She broke a rule, dumb or not, and she admitted to it. Move on. The worst thing about a rule or law...is to agree on it and then conveniently not agree on it. The best time to change a rule or law...is when it isn't being used.

 

[Plebe]

I‘m not addressing @Fairfield Fan but musing, why are rules applied to top performers deemed stupid but the average schmoe can get bounced for the same reason without any fanfare whatsoever? We’re hearing about Richardson but she’s a star in her sport. Who else failed the test and why haven’t we heard anything about them to stir up the outrage machine on Twitter? Is the anti-pot rule bad or is it only bad when it affects a star?

On that note, I found this article informative and interesting, including the following excerpt:

[...] Richardson is far from alone in running afoul of WADA’s marijuana rules. Americans who served cannabis-related suspensions in the past three years include weightlifters and triathletes, MMA fighters and skateboarders, freestyle skiers and pole vaulters. Richardson isn’t even the only American sprinter whose 2021 season was interrupted by a positive marijuana test. Kahmari Montgomery, who specializes in the 400 meters, accepted a one-month suspension early last month.​

Sha'Carri Richardson's Olympic drug ban: Why is marijuana a prohibited substance?

Marijuana remains on WADA's "prohibited list," even as U.S. states decriminalize it and major American sports leagues no longer punish users.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Fairfield Fan]

If Richardson were the, say, 200th best sprinter in the country, would you be as outraged?

I‘m not addressing @Fairfield Fan but musing, why are rules applied to top performers deemed stupid but the average schmoe can get bounced for the same reason without any fanfare whatsoever? We’re hearing about Richardson but she’s a star in her sport. Who else failed the test and why haven’t we heard anything about them to stir up the outrage machine on Twitter? Is the anti-pot rule bad or is it only bad when it affects a star?

The answer is that the rule is absurd for all athletes. It's just become the focus because its application resulted in perhaps the fastest sprinter in the world not being permitted to compete at the pinnacle of the sport.

And it doesn't matter that it's against the rule, while drinking beer isn't. Cannabis use should be permitted, just like that other intoxicant, alcohol. It doesn't enhance performance. Indeed, alcohol is clearly damaging to the body, yet it is permitted by the IOC, while cannabis, which doesn't cause cancer, and can't result in an overdose, is prohibited.

It's a travesty. It will be eliminated. But not soon enough.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

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.

the absurdity of the rule is the entire point. Cannabis is not a stimulate. Indeed, it's a depressant. So it doesn't enhance performance, and WADA never said it did. In that 2011 article, WADA's chief seemed to suggest that this was all about protecting the athlete. But how can they not prohibit alcohol or tobacco, both of which clearly endanger the life and health of the athlete, but prohibit cannabis, which does not?

This is the beginning of the end of WADA's embarrassing ban on cannabis. It's indefensible, and it will come off the list. Just not before this injustice is meted out to yet another person of color.

 

[mustafa]

All she had to do is follow the rules, not too hard to do.

Everyone always has excuses.

Another athlete, who was able to or willing to actually follow the rules, now has an opportunity.

 

[Dokey]

All she had to do is follow the rules, not too hard to do.

Everyone always has excuses.

Another athlete, who was able to or willing to actually follow the rules, now has an opportunity.

It isn’t who follows the rules—especially one that is from another era— but who is the fastest or the best. You just hand out asterisks.

 

[Dokey]

It isn’t who follows the rules—especially one that is from another era— but who is the fastest or the best. Otherwise you just hand out asterisks.

 

[Spaceman213J]

She broke the rules and she admits it.

Whether you agree with it or not makes no difference. Currently, it is a banned substance.

It is probably going to change in the near future, but she knew she was violating a current rule.

Now... we are talking about a group that let the KGB handle the test of their own athletes in Sochi, when the world knew the Russian athletes were doping and the group that is letting men compete in women's sports. This isn't a group known for their sound reasoning.

 

[AmeriConn]

Why haven’t Snoop and Willi Nelson weighed in?

 

[Bald Husky]

I agree that the rule is out of touch with todays reality, and it is a shame that she was suspended. Still, throughout her career the substance has been banned, she new that, so why would she be so stupid to engage with the stuff now, especially with the Olympics on the horizon.

 

[Magruber]

I agree that the rule is out of touch with todays reality, and it is a shame that she was suspended. Still, throughout her career the substance has been banned, she new that, so why would she be so stupid to engage with the stuff now, especially with the Olympics on the horizon.

I agree with most of your post but will add:

1. It's NOT a shame that she's suspended. It was 100% the right thing to do.

2. Yes, she is stupid for doing what she did.

3. Actions have consequences.

 

[Beemer]

Give me a break....if you're an athlete and you know there is an ingredient in whatever you're taking/drinking/smoking on the prohibited list then you.do.not.use.it. and you especially do not use it right before a competition where there is drug testing. I mean this is basic common sense.

It doesn't matter if the rule is wrong, out of date or whatever. You don't break them. If you do you will face consequences. Again, basic common sense. If change is needed then get it changed.

Maybe Richardson thought the rules wouldn't apply to her since she is a top sprinter. Oops. Now she has forfeited (and rightly so) her opportunity to run in the Olympics. I give her full props for admitting what she did was wrong and not seeking to overturn the suspension, that is refreshing to see in an elite athlete.

 

[darkstar1]

Beer is not on the prohibited list. So to answer your question, no.
Pot is. Big difference.

I think, or at least hope, that the point is that the time has come to drop the rule, not that Richardson should be allowed to run. I agree the rule should go, but she broke the rule knowing the consequences, which are much less severe now than years ago. End of story for me.

 

[Plebe]

I think, or at least hope, that the point is that the time has come to drop the rule, not that Richardson should be allowed to run.

An online petition that has received over a half-million signatures is calling for the latter, not the former. So, at least for many folks, overturning her suspension is indeed the point.

Petition to reinstate America’s fastest woman nears goal

The petition has nearly 568,000 signatures.

thehill.com

 

[Husky25]

An online petition that has received over a half-million signatures is calling for the latter, not the former. So, at least for many folks, overturning her suspension is indeed the point.

Petition to reinstate America’s fastest woman nears goal

The petition has nearly 568,000 signatures.

thehill.com

What happens if they get to 600,000 signatures that would not have had they not reached the previous "goal" of 500,000?

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I agree with most of your post but will add:

1. It's NOT a shame that she's suspended. It was 100% the right thing to do.

2. Yes, she is stupid for doing what she did.

3. Actions have consequences.

Under the circumstances (grieving her deceased Mom))...I wouldn't classify her as stupid. Everyone handles grief in their own way. And yes...there are consequences.