British Rugby Sevens Player Amy Wilson-Hardy Withdrawn from Olympics
British rugby sevens player Amy Wilson-Hardy withdraws from Paris Olympics as racism investigation is launched. Team GB focuses on competition despite controversy.
Paris, Bollywoodfever: British rugby sevens player Amy Wilson-Hardy will not participate in the final day of the Olympics tournament in Paris due to an ongoing racism investigation.
On Monday, July 29, the British Olympic Association (BOA) initiated an investigation following the posting of a WhatsApp screenshot on Instagram, allegedly showing a racist message from Wilson-Hardy, 32, as reported by The Independent.
After the United States defeated Great Britain 17-7 on Monday, Team GB announced that Wilson-Hardy, who was part of the team that finished fourth in Rio 2016, left the team “on medical grounds” while 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“The British Olympic Association has confirmed that Amy Wilson-Hardy has been withdrawn on medical grounds from the Paris 2024 rugby sevens placement matches and will be replaced by Tokyo 2020 Olympian Abi Burton,” read the statement.
News of Wilson-Hardy’s withdrawal came as 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 emphasized the team’s 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 not yet commented on the investigation.
After Team GB’s loss to the U.S. on Monday, their chance of winning a medal in Paris ended. Following their win, the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team reached the semifinals, where they will face 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.
“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, highlighting why this year’s games are more significant 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, expressed her and her teammates’ enthusiasm for raising the profile of women’s rugby.
“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.”
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