Biden Comments on Olympian's Suspension: ‘The Rules Are the Rules’

Joe Biden praised sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson over her response to being suspended from the Olympics, though he also spoke of how “the rules are the rules.”

The United States Anti-Doping Agency issued a one-month suspension to Richardson earlier this week after she tested positive for marijuana. The news comes after Richardson just qualified for the Olympics in the 100m dash, but because of the penalty, she will be ineligible to compete in the individual 100m competition in Tokyo. She will be able to partake in the 4×100m relay though, which is scheduled to happen later in the games.

Richardson’s suspension sparked a notable amount of uproar from the public. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki bid her compliments to Richardson as “an inspiring young woman,” even as she said that it wouldn’t be appropriate for the government to comment on the Agency’s decision.

Asked whether he thought the decision was fair, Biden said on Saturday “the rules are the rules and everybody knows what the rules were going in.”

“Whether they should remain the rules is a different issue, but the rules are the rules,”