Elite Black women Olympic athletes undergo exceptional levels of scrutiny, from Simone Biles' recent record-breaking double pike vault which received artificially suppressed scores despite its difficulty to Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi, two Namibian runners who won't be permitted to run in their main events because of their naturally high testosterone levels. And just two days ago, we learned the Olympics decided to ban swim caps designed for the hair of Black swimmers, a blatant move to target Black athletes.
In Sha'Carri Richardson's case, the imposition of a penalty against her is a reminder of the racist application of the patchwork of legalization laws in the United States. Black people are criminalized, while white people profit off the burgeoning cannabis industry.Β
Even International Olympic Committee member and a founder of the World Anti-Doping Agency Dick Pound thinks this marijuana ban needs to go, saying, "One of these days, we should probably either take it off the list entirely or say itβs there but the minimum sanction should be something like a warning, so youβre not losing any period of eligibility." So why is it being enforced now?
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