Simone Biles Speaks On Viral Video Of Black Gymnast Being Snubbed Of Medal During Ceremony In Ireland

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles spoke out against racism in a viral video of a young Black girl being overlooked for a medal at a gymnastics ceremony in Ireland in March 2022.

According to the New York Post, the 26-year-old took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and shared her thoughts on the issue that has sparked outrage among social media users.

“When this video was circulating, her parents reached out. It broke my heart to see, so I sent her a little video,” Biles tweeted. “There is no room for racism in any sport or at all !!!!”

Biles’ remarks come after a video of the incident circulated on social media over the weekend. The nearly two-minute clip features a group of gymnasts waiting in line to receive their medals. However, the Black girl was the only participant snubbed of the honor.

The young girl’s mother has called out Gymnastics Ireland and its officials after they failed to investigate the incident, carry out policies against systemic racism in the sport, or formally apologize to the gymnast and her family.

“Its unbelievable that you treat a little girl this way,” her mother told the Guardian. “It’s a systemic problem, because when you [GI] don’t speak out, the message is that you are happy for it to go on.”

The organization released several statements regarding the mediation they launched involving both parties. On Sunday, GI said the incident was initially handled as a “member-to-member” complaint. However, it was unaware the family had demanded a public apology over the young girl’s treatment, per the Guardian.

On Friday, GI addressed the viral incident in a statement and apologized to the young girl and her family.

“The official in question accepted fully that what had happened had not been acceptable but stressed that it had not been intentional,” the statement read. “The official concerned said that upon realising 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).”

“A written apology provided by the identified individual has since been issued to the competitor and her family.”

The young girl’s mother said they were not “consulted” before GI released the statement to the public.

“We were not consulted before the statement went out. I’m even more scared. … They are simply trying to vindicate themselves,” she said.