“He broke my heart.” This video of a black girl being the victim of racism at a gymnastics competition in Ireland is going viral

The pictures are over a year old, but were re-released today. In March 2022, a young black athlete was ignored by an official at an awards ceremony at the National Indoor Arena in Dublin, Ireland, after a gymnastics competition. At first glance, the sequence is shocking. Standing among his teammates to put his medal around his neck, we see him waiting for the little girl… in vain. Following the internet’s twists and turns, the video has caused quite a stir since its re-airing on September 22, which has been widely shared by sports figures such as Simone Biles. Going viral, it has since garnered millions of views.

An honest mistake

An act of racism or an involuntary gesture? According to Irish media The Irish Times , this will be the second case. Indeed, the body said the little girl received a written apology from Gymnastics Ireland after her parents made a complaint of racism. “Initially, we tried to resolve the matter through an informal procedure, which is provided for in our disciplinary and grievance policy,” the body’s press release explained. However, following a series of communications with the parents, they have informed Gymnastics Ireland that they will not be involved in this process and are seeking legal advice.”

Still, according to Gymnastics Ireland, the woman in the pictures would “fully accept that what happened was unacceptable”, stressing however that the gesture was “not intentional”. “The concerned official said that once he became aware of the error, he immediately corrected it and ensured that the affected competitor received his medal before leaving the field. The official also expressed his deep regret for the “sincere mistake” and asked. personally apologize to the competitor and his family.

“He Broke My Heart”

Simone Biles, a four-time Olympic gymnastics champion, was one of the first to repost the sequence on her social media. “When this video went viral, his parents contacted me. He broke my heart so I sent him a little video. There is no place for racism, regardless of the sport or place,” we can read on his Twitter. “This gesture is not offensive in many ways,” said Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles.