The governing body for gymnastics in Ireland has issued an apology following the resurfacing of a year-old video depicting a judge disregarding the only Black girl at a medal ceremony.
The viral video, which was recorded in March 2022, shows a female judge individually awarding medals to young gymnasts. The event was part of Gymnastics Ireland’s GymStart program, designed to encourage participation in the sport by providing a safe, progressive, and enjoyable environment for all.
In the video, the judge appears to intentionally skip over the only Black girl in the lineup, ignoring her and continuing to distribute medals to the other children. The girl initially smiles while waiting for her medal, but becomes upset and confused when she is overlooked. Neither the judge nor the girl has been publicly identified.
The video has sparked outrage on social media, including from U.S. Olympic champion Simone Biles, who was contacted by the girl’s parents shortly after the incident occurred last year.
“It broke my heart to see, so I sent her a little video,” Biles posted Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter. “There is no place for racism in any sport or in society !!!!”
Biles’ teammate Jordan Chiles, another Olympic medalist, described the video as “extremely hurtful on multiple levels.”
On Monday, Gymnastics Ireland issued an apology and firmly denounced all forms of racism.
“The incident should never have occurred, and we sincerely apologize for its happening,” read the organization’s statement.
Gymnastics Ireland also stated that they had offered a personal apology to the family but later decided that mediation would be the best course of action.
The organization’s statement on Monday acknowledged that an independent expert had provided “a series of recommendations” which they are fully committed to implementing in order to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
The statement did not specify the exact policies and recommendations that would be adopted by the organization.
In an interview with The Guardian on Sunday, the mother of the gymnast—whose name was withheld to protect her and her family from racist abuse—revealed that Gymnastics Ireland did not apologize until the video gained attention. The family also stated that gymnastics officials declined to participate in mediation, treating the incident as a personal dispute rather than a systemic problem within the institution.
“It’s shocking that a young girl was treated this way,” she expressed. “It’s indicative of a systemic issue because when you stay silent, the message is that you’re fine with it being swept under the rug.”
The young gymnast has since received her medal and continues to participate in Gymnastics Ireland events, as confirmed by the organization.
According to The Guardian, the judge who skipped over her has denied that her actions were racially motivated.