By: Phoenix Mintus, Summer 2021 Collaborator at Power in Place
It recently made headline news that Brianna McNeal was disqualified from the Tokyo Olympics because of a missed drug test and errors in documentation. She was forced to confess to having an abortion two days before the drug test, which was a life decision she wished to remain private, and she was incorrectly given an antidoping violation regardless of the official rules of antidoping violations. With the recent disqualification of Sha’Carri Richardson from the Tokyo Olympics, why has there been recent attacks on Black athletes and their cultural practices in the Olympics?
Brianna McNeal is an athlete that participates in track and field events all around the world. She was set to take part in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics until she missed a drug test because she had an abortion. On January 12, 2020, Brianna McNeal was in bed recovering her abortion two days earlier when anti-doping officials knocked on her door. She didn’t answer the door because she did not hear them arrive, and she missed their phone call that they left.
Eighteen days later, the Athletics Integrity Unit, an organization that investigates antidoping in track and field events, asked her to explain. McNeal explained that she received an abortion the day before her drug test, and she wished to keep the abortion private and confidential. She was requested to provide documentation of her abortion, and after reviewing her doctor’s notes, she incorrectly believed they put down the wrong date for the abortion, so she changed the dates on the forms from January 10th to January 11th. Because of this, she received an antidoping violation.
McNeal was distraught after receiving the results of the hearing. She found that World Athletics did not believe that she was traumatized by the abortion because she continued to post on social media and attend track events after the abortion. This assumption is not only biased, but dangerous considering that abortions impact women and families in different ways. The decision to get an abortion is a heavy one, and it does not impact women lightly. It can take weeks, months, and even years for women to recover. McNeal may have chosen to continue posting and attending athletic events as a manner of coping and getting her life back on track, and she should not be punished or judged for that decision she made. Speaking on the judgment of World Athletics, McNeal stated, “they say that they are protecting athletes that are clean, but I don’t feel protected at all. I just feel like I’m being judged for this very big decision I made that really affected my life.”
The reasoning behind this antidoping violation has become more difficult to understand considering the rules for issuing a violation. According to the rules of the Athletics Integrity Unit, an antidoping violation is issued when three or more drug tests have been missed within a certain period of time. In McNeal’s situation, she only missed one test, and was still issued a violation. In its defense, World Athletics stated the violation was justified because McNeal falsified the doctor’s notes to deceive anti-doping officials so she wouldn’t be penalized for missing the test. However, they failed to consider that this time in her life was very emotional, and it’s very possible that she did truly make an honest mistake in her paperwork. McNeal was facing depression after the procedure, and was under high stress to keep the procedure private due to the stigma of abortions in the United States. Depression is a serious mental health condition that can cause those suffering to perform actions they would not normally do under normal circumstances, and it’s reasonable to conclude that McNeal was struggling and acted outside of the ordinary to cope with the stress and depression she experienced after her abortion The fact that she was given a violation outside of the rules and guidelines, and her depression was not considered, is concerning and unfair.
Investigators not only judged her for her decision and reaction to getting an abortion, but they also insulted her choice to see a spiritual advisor rather than a psychiatrist for her depression after the abortion. In the Black Christian community, the practice of seeing a spiritual advisor when struggling is very common, and it has become a normalized part of the religion. As part of her cultural practice, it should be respected just like any other religious belief and practice.
The judgment of her decision is not only racist, but insinuates that her cultural practice is unhelpful and that Black pastors are incapable of offering support and guidance to their church members. This attack on McNeal is entirely disrespectful to Black culture, and is entirely insensitive to her religion as well. This disrespect is rooted in racism against Black culture and a lack of respect for the Black Christian community, and should not be tolerated under any level, but especially under a professional organization aimed at protecting athletes and promoting equality and fairness for all athletes.
In McNeal’s case, we’ve realized that World Athletics and the Athletics Integrity Unit acted unfairly and discriminatory in considering Brianna McNeal’s situation and religious and cultural practices. Moving forward, it’s important that organizations protect all athletes and respect their beliefs so that fairness and equality is truly promoted. We must remember that we cannot always understand what’s occurring in someone else’s life, but we should remain respectful, compassionate, and supportive.
References:
[1] Macur, Juliet. “An Abortion, a Missed Drug Test and Altered Records Add Up to Trouble.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 July 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/07/01/sports/olympics/abortion-doping-olympics-mcneal.html.
[2] Schad, Tom. “Five-Year Ban against Brianna McNeal Upheld by Court of Arbitration for Sport.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 2 July 2021, www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/07/02/brianna-mcneal-out-tokyo-olympics-five-year-ban-upheld-cas/7837419002/.
Phoenix Mintus is an incoming sophomore student at Denison University. He is majoring in Communications and Public Affairs. He is passionate about LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights. He enjoys reading, writing, and learning new things everyday. On campus, he plans to volunteer and join the student newspaper.