The organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympics said on Wednesday that Emily Gomis, a former player for the French national basketball team, was removed from her position as an ambassador for the Olympics due to the controversy related to her social media post regarding the Israeli aggression against Gaza.
On October 9, two days after the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip GazaGomis posted an Instagram story that showed the Israeli flag gradually covering areas of the map of France, accompanied by a question that read, “What would you do in this situation?”
Critics accused the former basketball player of anti-Semitism and supporting Hamas attacks, which Gomis strongly denied.
The Paris 2024 statement said: “Members of the Board of Directors and the General Assembly were able to note that Emily Gomis condemned the October 7 attacks in Israel and all forms of anti-Semitism and discrimination that conflict with her values. Gomis also expressed her regret over what she published and apologized.” .
The statement added, “However, the General Assembly (of the Paris 2024 Olympics) considered that this circular conflicts with the duty of neutrality and no longer allows it to carry out its duties towards Paris 2024 without bias.”
The controversy surrounding Gomis, a retired athlete of Senegalese origins who represented France for more than 10 years and won the 2009 European Championship title, is the latest thorny issue facing the Games, which are already suffering from geopolitical tensions due to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Anti-Semitism
Gomis said in a subsequent post on social media, “The accusations of anti-Semitism that I face completely contradict the values that sport instilled in me and taught me,” and she apologized to anyone who felt any offense.
Gomez has 17.7 thousand followers on her Instagram account.
The organizing committee for the Paris 2024 Olympics said it wishes a happy and safe Olympics for everyone, but organizers are concerned that the event will get involved in political matters amid the ongoing war in Gaza and Ukraine and France’s internal security challenges.
“It is clear that the international context is in a state of tension, especially today,” said Tony Estanje, head of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee.
Estanje had referred Gomes’ case to the Ethics Committee, which said last month that her publication constituted a “serious violation of ethical obligations.”
