Family Receives ‘Useless’ Apology in Gymnastics Racism Row

“It’s like they blamed her for being black.”

The mother of a black girl who was denied a medal at an Irish gymnastics event ceremony has called the apology she received “useless.” A video recently surfaced showing the alleged racist treatment of the young black gymnast, which was ignored by an official during a medal distribution in Dublin last year.

The incident was described as “horrendous” by the girl’s mother. Gymnastics Ireland issued an apology on Monday, expressing regret for the distress caused and condemning all forms of racism. However, the family feels that the organization only apologized because of public pressure after 18 months.

The family believes their daughter was the victim of racism. They have chosen to remain anonymous, fearing racist abuse. The incident occurred at a GymStart event in March 2022, where all participating children received medals except for the young black girl.

The judge at the event later apologized to the family and claimed that her actions were a mistake and that she would never be racist. However, the girl’s family firmly believes that their daughter was subjected to racism. They reached out to Gymnastics Ireland for an apology but received a short letter from the judge only a year after the incident. The family recently discovered another email apology from the judge, which was never forwarded to them by Gymnastics Ireland.

The family’s main concern is the reaction of the sport’s governing bodies. They feel that attempts were made to cover up the incident and that they had to beg for an apology. The apology from Gymnastics Ireland, which came after the video went viral, was described as “useless” by the girl’s mother. She believes that there needs to be a change in policy from Ireland’s Department of Sport to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Gymnastics Ireland acknowledged their failure to apologize promptly and with empathy, stating that the child and her parents were let down. They expressed that this was the first complaint of racism they received since their foundation and acknowledged the need for improvement.

The family’s case was taken up by the campaign group Sport Against Racism Ireland, who informed Professor Harry Edwards, an American civil rights activist. Edwards then contacted world champion gymnast Simone Biles, who sent a video of support to the family. Receiving this video was a special moment for the girl, as Biles is her idol and the support meant a lot to her.

Despite the incident, the girl is determined to continue with her gymnastics journey and will continue to work hard.

“Yeah, I’m still continuing,” she said. “I’m going to keep striving hard.”

The incident serves as a reminder of the need to address racism in sports and ensure that no child has to experience what this young gymnast went through.