GYMNASTICS IRELAND HAS agreed to carry out a review of its practices when it comes to promoting equality of opportunity across the sporting body’s activities. 

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) said in a statement today that it had invited Gymnastics Ireland to conduct the review. IHREC director Deirdre Malone welcomed Gymnastic Ireland’s “willingness to engage” in the review.

She said that the review will allow the organisation to “reflect” on the systems and practices that it has in place, and to “benchmark them against its obligations under equality law to ensure that it is fulfilling the duty to promote equality of opportunity and to prevent discrimination”.

The watchdog’s intervention follows a high profile incident in September last year when the sporting organisation had to issue a public apology to a young Black girl passed over in a medal ceremony. 

Gymnastics Ireland commissioned an independent expert review of its policies and practices, leading to a commitment from the organisation to implement recommended reforms. This latest review comes on top of the one from September last year. 

At the time, a video of the incident attracted international media attention and Olympic champion Simone Biles was amongst those to criticise the organisers of the event. 

She said that the clip “broke my heart”, adding that she spoke to the young girl after being contacted by her parents. 

However, the IHREC said it doesn’t want to revisit “any individual complaint of discrimination” but rather focus on the “structures and practices” Gymnastics Ireland has put in place.

Specifically, Gymnastics Ireland has been asked to identify “all relevant current practices and procedures that relate to promotion of equality of opportunity” and assess their effectiveness. 

Additionally, the sporting body is to identify the ways in which it handles complaints that raise allegations of discrimination. 

Gymnastics Ireland is also expected to identify issues related to inequality of opportunity and to make recommendations on how to address them if they arise.