Sport Ireland received complaints from around the world over medal snub of young gymnast

Sport Ireland received messages from around the globe in the wake of an international furore over a gymnastics medal ceremony in which a young black competitor was the only participant not to be given a medal.

An email from Pakistan said the medal incident had damaged “the international reputation” of Ireland while another said the presentation event had been a “profoundly despicable and shameful act”.

In internal emails, the development authority Sport Ireland grappled with how to respond to the video from the event organised by Gymnastics Ireland, which went viral more than a year after it happened.

The video showed a line of young athletes being presented with a medal except for one child and was viewed at least 50 million times after being shared on social media by the world-famous gymnast Simone Biles.

Complaints received by Sport Ireland about the Gymnastics Ireland event included one that said: “People of Irish descent have been the victims of racism. You would think they would want to chastise and denounce people who are racists.”

A message from Great Britain said: “I don't know how that child felt leaving the medal presentation ceremony as the lone one without a medal hanging on her neck but I felt terrible, devastated and desolate as an African living in the UK.”

Another criticised Sport Ireland’s handling of the incident and how they had “reconciled this poorly managed moment”.

“I’d like to know what you all did to make up for this oversight,” said their email.

Some of the messages were furious in tone with one saying the girl at the centre of the incident had been treated “like sh**”.

One message wrote of their shame of being Irish: “I have to live here with this on my soul.”

Another said: “How we treat young