Getty Celine Dion performs on the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on July 26, 2024.
A prominent rugby sevens player from Team Great Britain (GB), Amy Wilson-Hardy, was sent home from the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 30.
The British Olympic Association (BOA) announced that Wilson-Hardy had been removed from the Team GB squad on “medical grounds” exactly a day after it began investigating the 32-year-old over an alleged racist message she sent on WhatsApp.
A screengrab of the alleged message, shared by a user on Instagram, showed the rugby player in a black facemask while telling the recipient that the look would give her “a better chance with blacks x.” It’s unknown if the screengrab was authentic or doctored.
British Olympic rugby star Amy Wilson-Hardy removed from team amid racist text probe t.co/JzQkwjl5lW
Soon after the post surfaced on social media, a BOA spokesperson said via The Independent: “The British Olympic Association has been made aware of an image published on a social media platform and is investigating the matter.”
🏉 The British Olympic Association has begun an investigation after being made aware of rugby sevens star Amy Wilson-Hardy appearing to make a racist comment in a WhatsApp message
Less than 24 hours after announcing the start of the investigation, the BOA pulled Wilson-Hardy from the Paris Olympics, replacing her with Abi Burton.
“The British Olympic Association has confirmed that Amy Wilson‑Hardy has been withdrawn on medical grounds from the Paris 2024 rugby sevens placement matches and will be replaced by Tokyo 2020 Olympian Abi Burton. As confirmed last night, the BOA continues to investigate this matter.”
BREAKING: Amy Wilson-Hardy has been withdrawn on medical grounds from the Paris 2024 rugby sevens placement matches and will be replaced by Abi Burton.
Amy Wilson-Hardy Yet to Comment
As of July 31, the veteran rugby sevens player had yet to comment on the Whatsapp controversy. Wilson-Hardy was last seen in action on July 29 during Team GB’s 17-7 loss to Team USA in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics rugby sevens tournament. The loss meant Team GB had failed to qualify for any of the medals, and was forced to play China in a 5-8 placing match on July 30, which it also lost by a margin of 19-15.
Ultimately, Team GB drubbed Ireland 28-12 in the 7-8 placing match to finish the tournament as the seventh-placed team. Elsewhere, New Zealand defeated Canada in the gold medal match, and the United States defeated Australia to capture the bronze.
Wilson-Hardy was participating in her second Olympics after being a part of the 2016 Rio Olympics where Team GB lost to New Zealand in the semifinals. Thereafter, she played a crucial role in England reaching the final of the 2017 Rugby Women’s World Cup. Again, England lost to the mighty Kiwis in the championship game.
Latest Paris Olympics Controversy
While the Wilson-Hardy situation is related to Team GB, the organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics haven’t caught a break since the festivities began on July 26.
During the opening ceremony, a 143-athlete contingent representing South Korea was accidentally introduced by an announcer as “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” — the name of North Korea in English. The goof-up happened just as the South Korean athletes paraded on their boats on the River Seine for the opening festivities.
Also during the opening ceremony, a tableau segment — perceived by many as a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” painting — drew the ire of Catholic groups, who denounced the organizers of the Olympiad. The situation became so messy that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had to issue an apology and clarify that the Paris Olympics staff didn’t intend to mock or recreate a biblical scene.
Aside from those opening ceremony controversies, Paris 2024 has also been married with other issues such as a food shortage in the Olympic Village, poor sanitary conditions for the athletes and the River Seine’s water quality. The organizers also faced backlash for imposing a ban on French athletes from wearing a hijab.
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2024 Paris Olympics Hit With Racism Controversy