Except for the 'Black Girl,' No Medal Given... Controversy Over Ireland Gymnastics Association

Late Backlash as Incident Spreads on SNS
Girl's Side: "Apologized Later Due to Growing Public Attention"

Last March, a controversy arose over allegations that the presenter at a competition organized by the Gymnastics Ireland (GI) did not award a medal to a Black girl.

On the 23rd (local time), human rights activist Mohammad Safa posted a video on social media (SNS) saying, "My heart aches for the young Black girl who did not receive a medal," and urged, "Please pay attention to her."

The video shows the awards ceremony at the GI gymnastics competition, where a Black girl stands on the podium alongside white girls. At this time, the presenter steps forward to award medals to the participants but does not give a medal to the Black girl. The girl appears embarrassed as she is the only one not receiving a medal.

It was reported that photographers, coaches, and other officials who witnessed the situation at the time did not raise any objections to this incident.

At an awards ceremony for a competition organized by the Irish Gymnastics Association, only the Black girl was not awarded a medal, causing controversy.
[Image source=X (formerly Twitter)]

Although the competition in the video took place a year and a half ago, the video became a major topic within the Irish gymnastics community after being posted on SNS. Gymnasts and celebrities cited the video to criticize the gymnastics association.

As the controversy grew, the gymnastics association reportedly issued a public apology to the family of the girl who did not receive a medal. This news was reported by the British media outlet The Guardian on the 24th.

The girl's mother told The Guardian in an interview, "I demanded a public apology immediately after the competition," and pointed out, "The gymnastics association initially said it was just an individual matter."

She added, "They say the presenter sent a lengthy apology letter to the association last year, but I never received it," and questioned, "The association needs to explain why they did not show me the apology letter."

She also criticized, "The apology was only received now, well over a year later, after the public showed interest in the incident," and pointed out, "There was no mention of racial discrimination in the apology letter."

In response, GI reportedly explained, "It was an unintentional mistake," and stated, "The Black girl was awarded the medal before leaving the venue."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.