After a video of a black child not receiving a medal at an Irish gymnastics competition ceremony went viral on social media, four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles declared that "there is no room for racism in any sport."
The incident happened in March 2022 at a GymSTART event in Dublin, where a line of kids received medals but the black girl did not.
However, in recent days, a video of the incident has surfaced and has received millions of views on social media, bringing outrage.
In response to the video, Biles wrote, "It broke my heart."
She continued by saying that she had contacted the girl.
Jordan Chiles, a member of the USA team who won a silver medal in the Olympics, added that the incident was "beyond hurtful on so many levels."
She asked the gymnastics community to assist identify the young sports star, indicating that she also wished to get in touch with her.
Gymnastics Ireland released a statement on Friday, September 22, 2023 in response to the video, claiming that the girl's parents had complained to them in March 2022 about alleged discriminatory behavior.
According to the statement, there was "resolution agreed by both parties in August 2023" as a result of independent mediation.An inquiry of the incident by Gymnastics Ireland found that the relevant official "expressed deep regret for what they described as an honest error."
Gymnastics Ireland reported that the official delivered a written apology. It further stated that following the event, the child did receive her medal.
The girl's mother, according to a report in the Irish Independent on Sunday, Sept. 24, believes Gymnastics Ireland has not issued a public apology and has brought the case to the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation in Switzerland.
The mother wants the video taken down from social media because she fears the family will become the subject of racist harassment, according to The Irish Independent.
According to the publication, the family felt that their daughter was overlooked at the ceremony just because she was black.
The mother told the newspaper, "We are frequently the only black family at gymnastics events, and this has been quite distressing for us. "The video has now been viewed by eight million people. They can see this was wrong from Pakistan to Ethiopia, yet Gymnastics Ireland still won't accept it and apologize.
0 Comments