• Film showed gymnast and Luke Carson shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ • Carson gets reprimand that will remain on record for two years

The British gymnast Louis Smith has been suspended for two months after appearing to mock Islam in a private video that was leaked online.

Smith, who has won four Olympic and five world championship medals in a glittering career, filmed a three-minute recording of him laughing and providing commentary as a former gymnast, Luke Carson, shouted “Allahu Akbar” and mimicked a praying pose at a wedding of a friend on September.

After the video was published by the Sun last month, Smith apologised for his behaviour saying he was “deeply sorry” for causing “deep offence with my thoughtless actions”.

British Gymnastics said that Smith had subsequently admitted to an independent panel that his behaviour was in breech of its standards of conduct.

That panel decided to suspend Smith for two months after taking into account another incident in June, in which he posted a zoomed-in photograph of a 16-year-old gymnast’s leotard-clad bottom on Instagram along with the comment “my sport has its moments” and a smiling emoji. Carson, meanwhile, was given a reprimand and allowed to continue coaching by a separate panel.

The British gymnastics chief executive, Jane Allen, said she hoped Smith and Carson would learn from the incident and “use their profile to have a positive impact on sport and communities”.

She added: “It is regrettable that following a historic summer of achievement, the organisation finds itself in this difficult position with two high profile members in breach of our standards of conduct.”

However the decision to suspend Smith was criticised as “appalling” by the National Secular Society, which said it worried for the consequences for free speech.

Its spokesman Ben Jones told the Guardian: “It is appalling that British Gymnastics is imposing Islamic blasphemy laws. No religion or idea should be above mockery, satire or criticism.

“British Gymnastics’ code of conduct is the issue here and it’s clear that it does kill freedom of speech. Society today is very wary of mocking or being critical of Islam, but Islam should not be placed in a separate category from other religions. Being offended from time to time is the price we all pay for living in a free country.”

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Smith has been one of the UK’s highest profile gymnasts for nearly a decade, having won his first world championship medal in 2007 when he was still a teenager before becoming the first British gymnast since 1928 to win an Olympic medal in 2008.

After wining two more Olympic medals at London 2012, Smith went on to win Strictly Come Dancing later that year in a final that was watched by 14 million people. After taking a break from gymnastics, Smith returned in time to win a silver medal on the pommel horse, his favourite event, at the Rio Olympics. However he was criticised after appearing to sulk and question the judges’ decision when he was beaten by another Briton, Max Whitlock, who took gold.



After the Sun’s story, Smith decided to miss the Olympic and Paralympic celebrations to visit two London mosques “to learn more about the Muslim community”. Speaking to the BBC last month, he said had received death threats ‘every day’ since the video was made public, but denied that he was racist.

“It’s a very scary situation,” he said. “I am very ignorant to religion but I am an ethnic minority myself and have been on the receiving end of racist comments. I do not condone racism at all.

“Some people from the Muslim community have been understanding. Some people have been angry, but once I have apologised, they have then said ‘we are taught to forgive - we are peaceful’.

“And at the other end of the spectrum I’ve had death threats. Every day online. I’m cautious and I’m stressed.”

The ban will not affect Smith’s gymnastic career in the short term: the 27-year-old is taking a break from the sport and is touring as a guest celebrity on the Keep Dancing stage production. However he recently confirmed his intention to carry on competing until the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

