Three-time Olympic Gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and reigning World champion Sha’Carri Richardson were temporarily denied entry to the warm-up track at the Stade de France in Paris as they arrived to prepare for the semifinals and final of the Women’s 100m at the Paris Olympics on Saturday afternoon.
Video circulating on social media showed both Fraser-Pryce and Richardson waiting outside the gate to enter the facility as security officials denied them entry.
Both athletes reportedly arrived to the venue in private vehicles rather than the team shuttle provided by the organizers and were told they would have to get into the venue another way.
A second video showed Fraser-Pryce trying to make sense of the situation.
“She said they changed the rule yesterday. How can you change the rule and then not say? So, they’re asking all the athletes who, for whatever reason, don’t stay in the village, they can’t come through the gate?” Fraser-Pryce said.
“We came through this gate yesterday and went through security and were okay. The man said we have to go all the way up where everybody else is entering to come back down here. That’s crazy,” she added.
Fraser-Pryce and Richardson are expected to battle for gold in the 100m.
The semifinals are set to start at 12:50pm Jamaica Time (1:50pm EST) with the final scheduled for 2:20pm (3:20pm EST).
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