Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has slammed the "racist and colonial policy" behind Sha'Carri Richardson's Olympics ban.
Richardson, 21, was suspended from the US Olympic team for 30 days after she tested positive for THC - a chemical found in marijuana - following a drugs test.
The US Anti-Doping Agency announced that Richardson would be banned from competing for a month on Friday (Jule 2), and as a result, she would be unable to compete in the women's 100m.
This means that she will be unable to see if she is the world's fastest woman, having qualified for the US team with a winning time of 10.86 seconds during the trials last month.
After receiving support from both fans and celebrities, now Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has defended the promising athlete.
"The criminalization and banning of cannabis is an instrument of racist and colonial policy," Ocasio-Cortez subsequently wrote on Twitter. "The IOC [International Olympic Committee] should reconsider its suspension of Ms Richardson and any athletes penalized for cannabis use."
Richardson apologized for her actions and explained that she had used the drug following the recent death of her biological mother, whose passing she was informed of by a reporter.
Listen to the 21-year-old speak out below:The decision to suspend "Amerca's Fastest Woman" from the 100m race was widely slammed by celebrities, politicians, and spectators, despite the fact that Richardson could still potentially compete in the 4X100-metre relay at the Olympics.
"In 2021, at a time when marijuana use is legally accepted in a growing number of US states and around the world, it makes exactly zero sense for regulators to continue to take punitive actions against athletes like Sha'Carri Richardson or anyone else who chooses to consume cannabis in their off-hours," Erik Altieri, executive director of the advocacy group NORML, said in a statement cited by the Independent.
US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart said that what is happening to the young sportswoman is "heartbreaking" but the anti-doping rules are clear.
"The rules are clear, but this is heartbreaking on many levels; hopefully, her acceptance of responsibility and apology will be an important example to us all that we can successfully overcome our regrettable decisions, despite the costly consequences of this one to her," Tygart said in a statement.