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The Tour of Guangxi (12 to 17 October) is one of the last cycling races of the season. For the six stages, the Belgian team Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, including Madis Mihkels (20) and Gerben Thijssen (25), traveled to the south of China. But neither of them fall for that.
Because after their arrival they make a terrible mistake. In a video that Thijssen posted on Instagram, a grinning Mihkels pulls back his eyelids with his fingers. Narrow eyes are typical of many people of Asian background: the gesture is racist and offensive. Even cycling enthusiasts don’t find it funny at all. They bring the team of the two to the attention of social media.
Fans are demanding consequences for both
Intermarché-Circus-Wanty immediately tried to smooth things over and released a statement deploring the driver’s behavior and expressing its condolences “to the Chinese government, the fans, the Guangxi government, the Chinese Cycling Federation and everyone involved the organization is involved. “Those involved in the tour” apologize. It continues: “Our team, representing more than 15 countries, and our partners are always committed to equal opportunities and fight against racism every day.” In addition, Mihkels will be withdrawn from the race and the necessary disciplinary measures will be taken.
That’s not enough for the fans. They wonder why Thijssen gets away unpunished. After all, he published the whole thing on his account – which is no longer accessible. The team is therefore forced to withdraw him from the tour as well. The statement will be republished with Thijssen’s name.
“Important life lesson”
While their teammates now participate in the race without them, Mihkels and Thijssen have time to think about their behavior. They published a joint statement on social media on Thursday morning. “We are sorry for what happened and know it was offensive and wrong,” they wrote. “It was never our intention to harm anyone.”
They describe the mistake as an “important life lesson.” And you can only hope that they learned from it. (beer)
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
