Former French basketball player Emily Gomis told that she was stripped of her title as ambassador for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris due to her criticism of Israel’s actions towards the Gaza Strip.
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Earlier, the ex-athlete published a post on Instagram in support of Palestine.
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“I just wanted to raise awareness and bring attention to the problem,” Gomis said.
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The Frenchwoman noted that after the publication of the post, her agent called her and asked her to delete the post.
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“For this reason, I apologized for the post, although I did not know who I should apologize to. I was surprised and called my boss directly. Tony Estangue is the chairman of the organizing committee of the 2024 Games. It was very important for me to first tell him that “Contrary to claims, this post is not directed against Jews or anyone else,” Gomis said.
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According to the former basketball player, Estangue promised to discuss the issue with representatives of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), but after the conversation he asked Emily to resign from her position as ambassador.
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“I realized that I had become a target of pro-Israel non-governmental organizations. The chairman of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) proudly told the media that he called the sports minister and said that I should be fired. When I heard this, it became clear to me what would happen to me and that a propaganda campaign was launched against me. It was not about me, but about my support for the Palestinian people and the side that I chose. That’s why they attacked me, it was not about anti-Semitism or supporting terrorism,” Gomis concluded.
