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, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned heart medication, resulting in her disqualification from the competition. In light of that, 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 violated anti-doping rules. As a consequence, she was handed a four-year ban from participating in any future competitions.
The verdict has significant implications for the Russian team, as they are now set to be stripped of the gold medal in the figure skating team event. 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.
They made a reference to some 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 had the Olympic drug-testing records of four U.S. athletes, including Williams and Biles (h/t BBC).
It must be noted, however, that there is no proof that the files were genuine. Also, neither Williams nor Biles has ever been charged with doping.
The accusation made by the Embassy has sparked anger among the fans of the 23-time Grand Slam champion and the celebrated gymnast. Many of them took to social media to express their discontent and criticize the Embassy for their post.
One fan expressed dismay at the fact that the Embassy accused two Black players while they were in South Africa, a country with predominantly Black citizens.
“The racism of this post is a bullhorn, while sitting in South Africa at that and it’s still up???” a fan posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Another fan claimed that the Russian Embassy was racist.
“Oh actually f*ck off. Racist b*stards,” the fan posted.
