Geopolitics and sports do not always mix well. Former basketball player Emilie Gomis resigned on Wednesday from her position as ambassador for the 2024 Paris Olympics, after being criticized for an Instagram post about Israel, the Olympic Games organizing committee (Cojo) said in a statement.
The Paris-2024 general assembly, meeting on Wednesday, “considered that this publication violated its duty of neutrality and no longer allowed it to carry out its missions with Paris-2024,” the statement said. “Emilie Gomis, in a shared concern for appeasement and responsibility, has wished to resign from her position as a member of the Board of Directors and ambassador for the label Terre de Jeux 2024 in Paris 2024 which takes note,” the Cojo added.
“Exemplary behavior” demanded
Two days after the attacks by Hamas in Israel on October 7, the former basketball player briefly posted a message in which French maps from 1947, 1967 and 2023 were shown, on which the tricolor flag covering French territory was gradually replaced by the Israeli flag, with this question: “What would you do in this situation?”.
“In our statutes, it is clearly stated that the representatives of Paris-2024 must have exemplary behavior and a willingness to appease these issues,” said Tony Estanguet, president of the Cojo.
Emilie Gomis’ regrets
The Board of Directors and the General Assembly of Paris 2024 therefore met on Wednesday to hear Emilie Gomis and her lawyers. “The members of the Board of Directors and the General Assembly were able to see that Emilie Gomis condemned the attacks on October 7 in Israel, any form of anti-Semitism or discrimination, contrary to her values. Emilie Gomis also expressed her regrets about her publication and apologized,” the Cojo said.
However, these apologies were not enough for her to retain her position, even if the Cojo recognized in its message “Emilie Gomis’ remarkable career as an athlete but also her commitment to the promotion of youth sports and the values of sport and Olympism”.
