"The racism of this post is a bullhorn" - Fans angered by Russian Embassy in South Africa accusing Serena Williams & Simone Biles of doping

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.

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

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A look into Serena Williams' Olympic success

Serena Williams and Venus Williams with their gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics

Serena Williams has achieved remarkable success at the Olympics, securing a total of four gold medals. Her triumphs include one gold in singles and three in doubles, where she partnered with her sister, Venus Williams.

Williams' first medal came at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where she competed in the doubles category alongside Venus. The sisters went up against the Dutch duo of Kristie Boogert and Miriam Oremans in the final and defeated them 6–1, 6–1 to bag the gold.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion secured her second gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She and Venus Williams defeated Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in the final 6–2, 6–0.

Serena Williams won her last two gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics. It was during this edition of the Olympics that Williams secured her first singles gold medal, defeating Russia's Maria Sharapova in the final. The former World No. 1 went on to win her third doubles gold medal alongside her sister Venus, beating the Czech duo of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka.