Allegations of racism have been leveled against Gymnastics Ireland after an official presenting medals to young competitors skipped the only Black girl in the group.
A video that has gone viral shows a Gymnastics Ireland official presenting medals during a medal ceremony, where she puts a medal on each competitor’s neck. However, when it was the turn of a Black girl, as the child bowed her head to receive her medal, the official skipped her and moved to the next white girl.
The Black girl is seen looking confused, yet expectant, waiting for the official to realize her error. However, the official left with the last medal without presenting it to the girl.
The incident reportedly occurred in Dublin in March 2022 but has gained attention after the girl’s mother spoke out. She expressed that her family was deeply upset by how their daughter had been treated by Gymnastics Ireland and believes she was ignored because of her race, as reported by the Irish Independent.
In response to the racism allegations, Gymnastics Ireland stated that they engaged with the woman, who is no longer a member of the sports body after choosing not to renew her membership.
They mentioned that she “fully accepted that what had happened had not been acceptable but stressed that it had not been intentional”.
The official, upon realizing the mistake, immediately rectified it and ensured that the competitor received her medal before leaving the Field of Play (FoP).
Expressing deep regret for what they described as an honest error, the official also requested the opportunity to apologize in person to the competitor and her family. Although this request was initially declined, a written apology from the individual has since been issued to the competitor and her family.”
Initially, an attempt was made to address the matter through the informal process of their discipline and complaints policy. However, following a series of communications with the parents, they were informed that they would not engage in the process and were seeking legal advice.
Gymnastics Ireland was contacted by the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF) last summer regarding the complaint.
They continued to engage with the GEF over the months and agreed to resume their internal process in February. The video has drawn significant backlash across the internet.
Watch the video below.
