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Friday March 29, 2024

Black gymnast says career derailed by ‘racism’ in Brazil

By AFP
September 20, 2020

SAO PAULO: Brazilian gymnast Angelo Assumpcao still wonders how far he could have gone if not for the decision he says derailed his career: speaking out against the racism he says he was subjected to by his teammates.

Could he have made the Olympics? Won a medal? At 24 years old, he may never get the chance to find out. “Some people think racism doesn’t exist. I wonder where my career would be without it,” he told AFP in an interview.

Assumpcao’s career was as short as it was promising. He pinpoints his decision to speak out against such behaviour as the moment his career started to unravel.

He was not selected for the 2016 Olympics, held in Brazil’s second city, Rio de Janeiro. Hypolito and Nory were, taking home medals — silver and bronze, respectively, in the floor competition. Assumpcao says he sank into depression because of the discrimination he allegedly faced.

Last year, Pinheiros carried out an internal review that confirmed incidents of “racial abuse” and “harassment” at the club, according to a report by Globo Sports. However, in a statement to AFP, the club denied racism in the decision to cut ties with Assumpcao. His bitter experiences rushed back recently when another Brazilian, Neymar, accused a defender of using racist insults against him during Paris Saint-Germain’s 1-0 loss to Marseille Sunday.