Fact check: Comparison between Sha'Carri Richardson and Michael Phelps on pot use lacks context
The claim: Michael Phelps used marijuana and still competed in Olympics
The suspension of Olympic hopeful Sha'Carri Richardson over a positive marijuana test has sparked comparisons with other Olympic athletes who have also used the drug.
A Facebook post aims to compare Richardson and now-retired Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, who won 28 medals.
"Michael Phelps smoked weed, kept all his medals and still participated in the Olympics. Don't y'all start this mess with Sha'Carri," the post reads.
Shared on July 2, the post has been shared over 7,000 times.
Phelps did use marijuana in 2008, months after that year's Olympics. But his situation and Richardson's can't be compared because the timeline of when both athletes used the drug are vastly different.
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USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment.
Richardson used marijuana before Olympic trials
Richardson consumed marijuana on the eve of the U.S. Olympic trials, which were held June 19 in Eugene, Oregon.
She received a one-month suspension July 2 after testing positive for THC, which the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency considers a "substance of abuse."
The positive test, which was taken that day, invalidates her performance at the trials, during which she secured a spot on the national team.
The suspension has a retroactive date to June 28, which will keep her from competing in the 100-meter race in Tokyo. Richardson will miss the Tokyo Olympics altogether.
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The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency follows the World Anti-Doping Agency's code for substance use.
This year's code prohibited marijuana during the "in-competition" period, which starts "just before midnight on the day before a competition" that the athlete is scheduled to participate, and goes "until the end of the competition and the sample collection process."
While Richardson consumed marijuana before her competition, a violation of this year's standards. That wasn't the case for Phelps.
Phelps used marijuana months after Olympics
In 2009, a photograph was published that showed Phelps holding a water pipe used to smoke marijuana. The picture was taken at a party in November 2008 at the University of South Carolina, CNN reported at the time.
Phelps competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he won eight gold medals.
The events that Phelps competed in happened between Aug. 10 and Aug. 17 – around three months before he was photographed consuming marijuana.
According to that year's prohibited list of substances, marijuana was prohibited but not during the out-of-competition period, the New York Times reported.
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In order to be disqualified for consuming a prohibited substance, there had to be evidence, like a positive test result, that the athlete consumed it during the competition period, according to the 2008 International Olympic Committee's anti-doping rules.
As of February 2009, Phelps "has never tested positive for a banned substance," the New York Times reported.
Phelps did face sanctions for his use of marijuana even if it was after the Olympics, however.
The athlete was suspended for three months from competition by USA Swimming, which also withdrew its financial support for Phelps through May 2009.
The sanctions only kept Phelps from competing until mid-2009. He competed in the 2012 London Olympics and didn't face any drug-related suspensions.
Our rating: Missing context
We rate the claim that Phelps used marijuana and was still allowed to compete in the Olympics MISSING CONTEXT, based on our research, because without additional information it could be misleading. Phelps was caught using marijuana months after the 2008 Olympics after a photograph of him holding a bong was published. Phelps didn't test positive for marijuana, however, during the competition period. Richardson consumed marijuana during the prohibited period. These distinctly different timelines make attempts to compare the two situations invalid.
Our fact-check sources:
- USA TODAY, June 12, Michael Phelps' presence lingers at Olympic swimming trials 5 years after his last race
- USA TODAY, July 2, Sha'Carri Richardson won't run 100-meter dash at Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for marijuana
- USA TODAY, July 6, Sha'Carri Richardson not picked for 4x100 relay team, will miss Tokyo Olympics
- U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, accessed July 2, About USADA
- U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, July 2, U.S. Track and Field Athlete Sha'Carri Richardson Accepts Sanction Anti-Doping Rule Violation
- USA TODAY, June 19, Sha'Carri Richardson dominates 100 meters in style to clinch trip to Tokyo Olympics
- World Anti-Doping Agency, accessed July 2, Who we are
- World Anti-Doping Agency, Jan. 1, World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List
- For The Win, Dec. 16, 2015, Michael Phelps explains why he didn't sue the guy who leaked bong photo
- CNN, Feb. 1, 2009, Phelps admits 'bad judgment' after marijuana-pipe photo
- USA TODAY, Aug. 7, 2016, Full list of every Olympic medal Michael Phelps has won
- World Anti-Doping Code, Sept. 22, 2007, The 2008 Prohibited List: International Standard
- The New York Times, Feb. 1, 2009, Phelps Apologizes for Marijuana Pipe Photo
- International Olympic Committee, accessed July 2, Anti-Doping Rules applicable to Games of the XXIX Olympiad (Beijing 2008)
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