President Joe Biden offered little support after championship runner Sha’Carri Richardson was suspended from her signature event at the Tokyo Olympics, Yahoo Sports reports.
Richardson accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for marijuana, which is legal in most US states.
The suspension means she will be unable to run in the 100-meter dash, an event in which she was a medal favorite.
“I’m sorry I can’t be y’all Olympic Champ this year but I promise I’ll be your World Champ next year,” she tweeted.
“All these perfect people that know how to live life, I’m glad I’m not one of them,” she added.
AOC calls to overturn ban:
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin sent a letter to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency calling for them to overturn the suspension.
"We urge you to reconsider the policies that led to this and other suspensions for recreational marijuana use, and to reconsider Ms. Richardson’s suspension. Please strike a blow for civil liberties and civil rights by reversing this course you are on," the letter said.
"The criminalization and banning of cannabis is an instrument of racist and colonial policy," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter. "The IOC should reconsider its suspension of Ms. Richardson and any athletes penalized for cannabis use."
Biden backs rules:
“The rules are the rules,” Biden told reporters when asked about the suspension.
"And everyone knows what the rules were going in. Whether they should remain that way is a different issue. But the rules are rules, and I was really proud of the way she responded," he added.
