GB rugby player Amy Wilson-Hardy out of Olympics on ‘medical grounds’ amid racism storm

British rugby sevens player Amy Wilson-Hardy has been withdrawn from the Olympics on medical grounds after it emerged she was being investigated over an alleged racist remark.

Officials are understood to be looking into a screengrab of a WhatsApp conversation that was posted on social media which allegedly involves the Team GB forward.

She was due to play in the 5th-8th place play-off match against China on Tuesday afternoon, but moments before the game was scheduled to begin the British Olympic Association said she had been withdrawn.

A BOA spokesperson said: “The British Olympic Association has confirmed that Amy Wilson-Hardy has been withdrawn on medical grounds from the Paris 2024 rugby sevens placement matches and will be replaced by Tokyo 2020 Olympian Abi Burton.”

In the screengrab, which was posted on social media by a newly-created Instagram account, the 32-year-old appears to be wearing a dark face mask.

Another person, who is not named in the image, then posts underneath: “Genuine chocolate face.”

The message receives the response: “Thought I’d have a better chance with the blacks.”

The image was posted along with the caption: “A little black face racism by Team GB Rugby 7’s Amy Wilson-Hardy even joking she’ll have a better chance with the blacks.”

The Instagram account which posted the image has now been deleted.

Speaking after a disappointing sudden-death defeat by China on Tuesday, which consigned them to a play-off for seventh or eighth place, GB women’s captain Emma Uren said the players were broadly unaware about the allegations and were doing their best to focus on the sport.

“We didn’t get told much about it because we know we need to focus on the game and the tournament,” she said, adding that a phone ban was in place at the squad.

“It’s quite a surprise when something like that springs up in the middle of an Olympic campaign,” she admitted.

Head coach Ciaran Beattie declined to be drawn on the row. “We’re just playing rugby right now. We’re concentrating on that,” he said.

Wilson-Hardy, who made her England debut in 2013, featured in Monday afternoon’s 26-17 victory over South Africa.

After the allegation came to the BOA’s attention, Wilson-Hardy then featured in Great Britain’s 17-7 quarter-final elimination by the United States, coming on with 4min 35sec left in the second half on Monday night.

She has 10 caps for England and this was her second Olympic Games after she was selected for Rio in 2016.

From West Sussex, she won a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, was named in the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup squad and has a degree in engineering from Bath University.

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