Olympic British Rugby Player Under Racism Investigation Pulled from Competition on Last Day
British rugby sevens player Amy Wilson-Hardy will not participate in the last day of the Olympics tournament in Paris due to a racism investigation.
On Monday, July 29, the British Olympic Association launched an investigation after a person posted a WhatsApp screenshot on Instagram of a racist message allegedly sent from Wilson-Hardy, 32, per The Independent.
Following the United States beating Great Britain in a 17-7 defeat on Monday, Team GB shared in a statement that Wilson-Hardy, who was part of the team that finished fourth in Rio 2016, left the team “on medical grounds” as the racism investigation continues.
“The British Olympic Association has confirmed that Amy Wilson-Hardy has been withdrawn on medical grounds from the Paris 2024 rugby sevens placement matches and will be replaced by Tokyo 2020 Olympian Abi Burton,” the statement read.
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News of Wilson-Hardy dropping out from the competition came while Team GB played its final matches of the sevens tournament, starting with a placement tie against China, which will determine the standings from fifth to eighth.
Following Wilson-Hardy’s exit, British captain Emma Uren shared that the team is just trying to focus on the competition.
“We heard about [it] this morning, but for us, [it’s about] focusing on the games, focusing on getting ourselves in the right place to be able to perform,” Uren, 26, told reporters on Tuesday, July 30, according to AP News. “Because we’re off our phones, we don’t know much about it. And we didn’t get told much about it because we know that we need to focus on the tournament. So our heads are 100 percent there.”
Wilson-Hardy has yet to comment on the investigation.
After Team GB lost to the U.S. on Monday, it ended their chance of winning a medal in Paris. Following their win, the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team reached the semifinals where they will play defending Olympic champions New Zealand on Tuesday, July 30. Even if they don’t win against New Zealand, Team USA could still have a chance to medal in the bronze matchup against the loser of Canada vs. Australia.
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“It is really important to have a profile, and a profile for our sport,” social media star and Olympic rugby player, Ilona Maher, shared with The Guardian on Monday, referencing why this year’s games are more important than just winning a medal. “It’s about building the brand. We are female rugby players — we’re not getting million-dollar contracts, we’re not getting paid the money that we should be.”
Maher, 27, explained how her and her friends are “keen” on making women’s rugby a more well-known sport.
“It’s important in the U.S. where so much attention is on other sports,” she told the outlet. “And I think it’s just about showing the personality that the women have. The game is very strong, not just for men, but for women too.”
