Olympics-Sha’Carri Richardson not selected for US relay in Tokyo by Reuters

By Amy Tennery

(Reuters) – American Sha’Carri Richardson Sprinter will not be selected in the 2020 4x100m relay team for the Tokyo Olympics after accepting a month-long ban on having a positive cannabis.

The 21-year-old, who won the 100-meter victory at the US Olympics in June, was expected to be one of the biggest draws in the upcoming Games in Japan.

His supporters hoped he could still compete in the relay competition after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) confirmed the suspension last week.

“We are very sympathetic to Sha’Carri Richardson’s mitigating circumstances and strongly applaud his responsibility – and we will offer our continued support on and off the track,” the USA Track & Field (USATF) said in a written statement.

Richardson said in an interview with NBC last week that he used the banned substance to deal with his mother’s death.

Richardson’s agent did not immediately respond to the request for comment.

The Tokyo women’s 100-meter dash will begin on July 30, two days after the ban ended, but she will not be able to compete because the interruption wiped out test results.

Choosing a relay team was the only option left for him to compete in the Games. The relay coaches, with the contributions of USATF performance staff, are able to select two athletes from among those who qualified for the first four tests.

“All USATF athletes know it equally and must adhere to the current anti-doping code, and our credibility would be lost to the National Governing Body if the rules were only enforced in certain situations,” the USATF said.

The organization added that it believes the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency on THC, the main active ingredient in cannabis, would be “re-evaluated.”

“While the heartfelt understanding belongs to Sha’Carri, we need to maintain fairness for all the athletes who tried to make their dreams come true by securing a place on the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team.”