Gymnastics Ireland is embroiled in a racism row after a shocking video showed a young black competitor being skipped over during a medal ceremony while her white teammates each received an award.
Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles condemned the “heartbreaking” incident and said she sent the young girl a video of support after her parents got in touch.
The Team USA gymnast was among those online condemning the official’s actions. He wrote on X: “There is no place for racism in any sport or at all!!!!”
The video shows a number of young gymnasts waiting for their awards, with the little girl excitedly waiting for her medal before being overlooked.
Gymnastics Ireland has now apologized for the incident after the girl’s parents claimed the snub was due to racism.
The little girl shuffles forward excitedly as she waits to be presented with the medal before the referee moves on to the next gymnast in the lineup
The video shows a number of young gymnasts waiting for their awards, with the little girl excitedly waiting for her medal while her peers accept their medals
Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles condemned the “heartbreaking” incident and said she had sent the young girl a video of support
The sports association said it immediately contacted the participant’s parents after complaining about the incident.
The girl’s mother said the family was “very upset” at how her daughter had been treated by Gymnastics Ireland and she believed she had been ignored because she was black, the Irish Independent reports.
Many have pointed out that at the end of the clip, the official walked away with the last remaining medal and all the kids in the lineup except the girl received one.
Gymnastics Ireland said it had been working with the woman, who is now no longer a member of the sports body after she decided not to renew her membership.
They said they “fully accept that what happened was unacceptable but stressed that it was not intentional”.
“The concerned official said that after realizing the error, he immediately rectified it and ensured that the participant in question was presented with her medal before she left the Field of Play (FoP).”
“The officer also expressed deep regret for what they described as an honest mistake and requested the opportunity to personally apologize to the participant and her family.” This request was initially denied.
“A written apology from the identified person has now been sent to the participant and her family.”
The statement continued: “We initially attempted to address the matter through the informal process of our Disciplinary and Grievance Policy.”
“However, after a series of discussions with the parents, they informed Gymnastics Ireland that they would not be taking part in the process and were seeking legal advice.”
Biles made history by becoming the first Black woman to win the all-around title in 2013
Footage of the presentation in Dublin in March 2022 has since gone viral on the internet.
Gymnastics Ireland was contacted last summer by the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF), who said they had been contacted about the complaint.
“We remained connected to the GEF throughout the autumn and winter months, during which our internal process was suspended,” Gymnastics Ireland said. “In February we agreed to move forward internally and move on to the next phase of our process.”
There was repeated backlash against the video online.
Olympic silver medalist and U.S. team member Jordan Chiles also called the incident “beyond hurtful in many ways.”
She said she also wanted to get in touch with the young sports star and asked the gymnastics community for help in identifying him.
Olympic silver medalist and U.S. team member Jordan Chiles also called the incident “beyond hurtful in many ways.”
After it resurfaced, the clip was called “disgraceful” and “hard to watch” by X users.
Biles, who made history by becoming the first Black woman to win the all-around title at the 2013 World Championships, has also been a victim of racism in the sport and has been vocal about addressing it.
After she was targeted with a vile racist comment by athlete Carlotta Ferlito, who finished third in the competition, Biles spoke out and said that all athletes of color have had similar experiences.
“But you just have to keep going so that the little ones look up to us,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter what you look like.” “You can strive for greatness and be great.”
In her video to the young gymnast, Biles said, “I wanted to let you know that I saw how you were treated at your recent GymStart event.”
“I was completely shocked and wanted to tell you that you deserve a medal, just like all the other girls.”
“I know you’ve worked incredibly hard in this sport and I want to tell you that I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you from here.” I’m sending you my best and know that so many of us are here to To support you.”