Gymnastics Ireland is in the centre of a racism controversy following the release of a shocking video showing a young black participant being passed over during a medal ceremony while her white competitors received awards one after the other.Read full article
Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles called the situation "heartbreaking" and revealed that after the young girl's parents contacted her, she sent a video of support.
There were other people who condemned the official's actions online, including the Team USA gymnast, who wrote on X: "There is no room for racism in any sport or at all!!!!"
The young gymnast in the video is seen eagerly waiting for her medal in the lineup of competitors before being passed over.
After the girl's parents claimed the rejection was motivated by racism, Gymnastics Ireland has since issued an apology for the event.
Following their complaint regarding the occurrence, the competitor's parents complained to the sports organisation, who claimed to have 'engaged quickly' with them.
According to the Irish Independent, the girl's mother stated that the family was "very upset" with how Gymnastics Ireland had handled their daughter and that they felt she was overlooked because she is black.
Many people have noted that the official walked away with the last medal at the end of the video while the daughter was the last child in queue to not receive one.
Gymnastics Ireland claimed to have communicated with the woman, who is no longer a member of the athletic organisation after declining to have her membership renewed.
According to their statement, she "fully accepted that what had occurred had not been acceptable but stressed that it had not been intentional."
"The official in question stated that upon noticing the error, they swiftly corrected it and saw to it that the participant in question received her medal before leaving the Field of Play (FoP).
The official also asked the chance to apologise in person to the contender and her family for what they described as an honest mistake and expressed sincere regret for it. This initial request was turned down.
The competitor and her family have since received a written apology from the identified person.
Welcome to Ireland where people get away with racism! This little black girl broke my heart. Don’t skip this post without leaving a million heart for her. Make her famous… pic.twitter.com/YYMIP1IALZ
— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) September 22, 2023