The Russian Embassy in South Africa has angered tennis fans online by accusing Serena Williams and Simone Biles of doping.
During the 2022 Winter Olympics held in Beijing, China, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s dreams of Olympic glory were shattered when she tested positive for a banned heart medication, resulting in her disqualification from the competition. In light of this turn of events, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided against awarding medals for the event.
Following her disqualification, Valieva faced a thorough investigation. On Monday, January 29, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland delivered its verdict, ruling that Valieva had indeed violated anti-doping rules. As a consequence, she was handed a severe four-year ban from participating in any future competitions.
This verdict carries significant implications for the Russian team, as they are now set to be stripped of the gold medal in the figure skating team event and the United States, who had finished second, will be crowned as the new Olympic gold medal holders.
After the CAS’ verdict, the Russian Embassy in South Africa took to social media to accuse Serena Williams and Simone Biles of doping by alluding to the leaked medical files, which were obtained by a hacking group called Fancy Bear, who hacked into the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 2016.
These leaked files allegedly contain the Olympic drug-testing records of four U.S. athletes, including Williams and Biles (h/t BBC). The accusation made by the Embassy has sparked anger among the fans of the 23-time Grand Slam champion and the gymnast. They took to social media to express their discontent and criticize the Embassy for their blatant racism.
One fan expressed their dismay at the fact that the Embassy accused two Black players while they were in South Africa, a country with predominantly Black citizens. The fan also deemed the actions of the Embassy as highly inappropriate and insensitive.
