Simone Biles is speaking out over an awful incident that happened a gymnastics competition.
Over the weekend, a video of a medal ceremony from a gymnastics event in Dublin, Ireland, went viral on X (Twitter) — and the footage is heartbreaking. The clip, originally taken in March 2022 but posted on Friday, showed a group of young gymnasts waiting in line for their awards following the competition. And one woman purposefully skipped the only Black athlete while handing out the medals. See (below):
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
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This is gut-wrenching to witness. Social media users were enraged by the footage, including Simone. She took to the comments section of the video to express her disappointment over the moment:
“When this video was circulating, her parents reached out. It broke my heart to see, so I sent her a little video. There is no room for racism in any sport or at all !!!!”
Fellow gymnastic Jordan Chiles also spoke out, saying:
“Gymternet pls help me find this little girl… This is beyond hurtful on so many levels, I need you guys to find her pls… asap”
After the video went viral, Gymnastics Ireland released a statement on the matter, claiming what happened was not “intentional” and the issue was settled in August of 2023:
“Gymnastics Ireland immediately contacted the family to express its regrets and to assure them that the incident would be investigated. … The official in question accepted fully that what had happened had not been acceptable but stressed that it had not been intentional. The official concerned said that upon realizing the mistake they immediately rectified it and ensured that the competitor concerned was presented with her medal before she left the Field of Play (FoP).”
The organization added that the official “expressed deep regret for what they described as an honest error” and “a written apology provided by the identified individual has since been issued to the competitor and her family.”
However, the child’s mom has since said this never happened. She told the Irish Independent on Sunday that the issue was not settled through mediation as claimed and the “written apology” over the racist behavior was a one-line letter addressed to “to whom it concerns.” Seriously? They couldn’t even address it to the young girl who was clearly hurt by what happened?!
Our heart breaks for this family. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
