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'A wake-up call': Black gymnast gets apology 18 months after medal snub
Hat tip, Newser, which is a clickbait site.
‘A wake-up call’: Black gymnast gets apology 18 months after medal snub
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, who said she contacted the girl, tweeted: ‘There is no room for racism in any sport or at all’
By Daniel Wu
September 25, 2023 at 11:08 p.m. EDT
A video from an Irish children’s gymnastics competition appeared to show a joyful scene: a row of young girls standing in a line on a gymnasium floor as spectators clapped and cheered. An official walked down the line, stopping in front of each girl to place a medal around her neck.
The official continued until she reached a Black girl in the middle of the line. The woman paused, then awarded a medal to the next participant, skipping the girl, who was the only Black child in line. The official continued awarding a medal to every other participant as the girl appeared to peer down the line in confusion.
Commenters — including Olympic medalists — blasted the incident, which took place in Dublin in March 2022, after the video was shared Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter. American gymnastics star Simone Biles tweeted that the video broke her heart, adding: “there is no room for racism in any sport or at all.” Jordan Chiles, Biles’s USA Gymnastics teammate, said seeing the girl being ignored was “beyond hurtful on so many levels.”
On Monday, Gymnastics Ireland — the national gymnastics organization that organized the event — issued a public apology. ... “What happened on the day should not have happened and for that we are deeply sorry,” the organization wrote in a statement, which said an independent expert is reviewing Gymnastics Ireland’s policies and procedures. ... “We are committed to ensuring nothing like this will happen again,” the statement said. “Gymnastics Ireland condemns any form of racism whatsoever.”
{snip}
By Daniel Wu
Daniel Wu is a reporter on The Washington Post's Morning Mix team. He joined The Post as an intern on the Metro desk in 2022 and previously worked for the Seattle Times and the San Jose Mercury News. Twitter https://twitter.com/danswu
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, who said she contacted the girl, tweeted: ‘There is no room for racism in any sport or at all’
By Daniel Wu
September 25, 2023 at 11:08 p.m. EDT
A video from an Irish children’s gymnastics competition appeared to show a joyful scene: a row of young girls standing in a line on a gymnasium floor as spectators clapped and cheered. An official walked down the line, stopping in front of each girl to place a medal around her neck.
The official continued until she reached a Black girl in the middle of the line. The woman paused, then awarded a medal to the next participant, skipping the girl, who was the only Black child in line. The official continued awarding a medal to every other participant as the girl appeared to peer down the line in confusion.
Commenters — including Olympic medalists — blasted the incident, which took place in Dublin in March 2022, after the video was shared Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter. American gymnastics star Simone Biles tweeted that the video broke her heart, adding: “there is no room for racism in any sport or at all.” Jordan Chiles, Biles’s USA Gymnastics teammate, said seeing the girl being ignored was “beyond hurtful on so many levels.”
On Monday, Gymnastics Ireland — the national gymnastics organization that organized the event — issued a public apology. ... “What happened on the day should not have happened and for that we are deeply sorry,” the organization wrote in a statement, which said an independent expert is reviewing Gymnastics Ireland’s policies and procedures. ... “We are committed to ensuring nothing like this will happen again,” the statement said. “Gymnastics Ireland condemns any form of racism whatsoever.”
Link to tweet
{snip}
By Daniel Wu
Daniel Wu is a reporter on The Washington Post's Morning Mix team. He joined The Post as an intern on the Metro desk in 2022 and previously worked for the Seattle Times and the San Jose Mercury News. Twitter https://twitter.com/danswu
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