Portugal’s historic success at the World Indoor Athletics Championships has been overshadowed by a wave of racist abuse targeting its medal-winning athletes, sparking outrage and renewed calls to tackle discrimination online.
What should have been a celebration of Agate de Sousa, Gerson Baldé and Isaac Nader – who made history by securing the country’s best-ever result at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Toruń, Poland – has instead become an example of how deep-rooted racism continues to persist among parts of the population.
The situation has been denounced by Grupo de Ação Conjunta – Contra o Racismo e a Xenofobia (Group of Joint Action Against Racism and Xenophobia), which highlighted how the athletes’ achievements were met in some corners of social media with racist and xenophobic comments.
The group highlighted multiple discriminatory messages posted in response to coverage of the athletes’ victories, stressing that such behaviour is not only harmful but also a criminal offence under Portuguese law.
“Congratulations to Africa”, “Born in AIMA” (Portugal’s migration agency), or “But are any of them truly Portuguese?” are some of the comments singled out by the group, which warns that racism remains a persistent issue, particularly when it comes to recognising Black and minority athletes as fully Portuguese.
Despite the backlash, support has poured in from across the sporting community. Among those speaking out was Olympic judoka Rochele Nunes, who said the abuse was sadly predictable.
She described feeling both “immense pride” and “deep sadness” upon seeing the athletes crowned world champions, noting that in 2026 people still feel comfortable expressing racist views publicly. Nunes called for an end to “gratuitous attacks” and urged greater respect for athletes who represent the country at the highest level.
On Sunday, March 22, Agate de Sousa won gold in the women’s long jump, while Gerson Baldé claimed gold in the men’s long jump. Isaac Nader added a silver medal in the men’s 1,500 metres at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Toruń — marking Portugal’s best-ever performance at the event.
Sousa clinched her title with a jump of 6.92 metres on her fifth attempt, confirming her status as one of the season’s top athletes. Baldé followed with a career-best 8.46 metres to secure gold in the men’s competition, while Nader clocked 3:40.06 to finish second in a tightly contested 1,500m final.
Remarkably, all three medals came on the final day of competition — Portugal’s first podium finishes of the 2026 edition — bringing the country’s all-time tally at the championships to 20 medals since 1985.
On Monday, March 23, all of Portugal’s participating athletes were welcomed at Belém Palace by Portugal’s new President, António José Seguro, as a celebration of their performances.
