In a story posted by BBC Africa, light on the issue of racism in the world of gymnastics sheds some light .This heartbreaking incident revolves around a young black child who was denied a well-deserved medal for her outstanding performance in gymnastics. This story has not only raised a concern but has also ignited a necessity to have a crucial conversation to address racism in sports, especially at a young age. Children are not in a position to understand how racism works as grown ups may endure it to some point. This incident is so heartbreaking that a young black child who was denied a medal she really deserve for her outstanding performance in gymnastics.
Gymnastics is a sport that requires immense dedication, discipline, and precision and that young girl worked hard in achieving it and she really needed to be appreciated. It’s a sport where individuals, regardless of their background, should be judged solely on their skills and performance. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as we saw in the incident reported by BBC Africa. The woman giving out medals just skipped her because of her race.
The child, who we will refer to as Sarah, displayed remarkable talent, dedication, and a true passion for gymnastics. Her performance in the competition was nothing short of outstanding, and she really deserved a medal as others children who got awards. This incident has sparked outrage and raised concerns about racism in the sport of gymnastics. It is essential to understand that racism is not limited to overt acts of discrimination; it can manifest in subtler ways, such as biases in judging and decision-making. In Sarah’s case, her face displays her feeling at that particular moment when she was skipped by the awarding woman. Such cases of racism especially to the young souls like Sarah can have a long lasting impact on self-esteem and aspirations of the young one. It totally discourage her from putting more efforts to get even more that she had that time. The young aged should be motivated so that they keep going even stronger than before.
It’s crucial for sports organizations, judges, and coaches to address and confront any biases that may exist in their practices by providing sensitivity training to judges and any official that works under sports to ensure that they judge according to performances and not race. This will be the best way to appreciate the ones participating in any type of sport. In the case of Sarah, the incident reported by BBC Africa has led to a public outcry, with many demanding justice and a fair review of her performance. It is hurting to see the community coming together to support her and shed light on the issue of racism in gymnastics. This case raises the need of having more conversation concerning the racism thing and how people should equally get appreciated for his or her effort. The girl’s parents may not be in a position to make Sarah understand all this racism and how it all started since the girl is still young and innocent.
