Bisexual Olympic athlete Jack Woolley required surgery after mob attack in Ireland
The Irish taekwondo star shared images of his bloodied face and clothes after the unprovoked attack
A bisexual Olympic athlete has undergone surgery to his face after he was attacked by a mob of people in Ireland.
Jack Woolley, a taekwondo athlete who represented Ireland at the 2020 Summer Olympics, shared images of the gruesome aftermath of the assault in Dublin, Ireland.
The 22-year-old shared photos and videos to his Instagram showing the aftermath of the attack, which took place on Friday, Aug. 13, including Woolley’s face and clothes covered in blood and swelling around his mouth and jaw post-surgery.
“Last night (Friday 13th August) I went for a meal with my friend. Followed by a bar for a couple of drinks,” Woolley wrote in a caption on Instagram. “Heading back along the River Liffey a gang of rough[ly] 8-12 men and women in their 20s began violently attacking people along the boardwalk.
“Unfortunately I was victim to these random attacks as I was just walking bye I was punched in the face by one of these group members,” he continued. “Only one punch and followed by ‘my mistake wrong person’ then they continued to run off down the road attacking more civilians minding their own business.”
Woolley said he was able to “stay conscious” and contact emergency services.
“My friends helped me through out all of this and I’m glad to say they both are well and safe,” he wrote. “I am lucky this is all that happened as there were a handful of us hospitalized and two men stabbed.”
Related: Three arrested after young gay man beaten to death by mob in Spain
Woolley was taken to St. James’s Hospital in Dublin, where he said he was prepped for mouth surgery.
“Thank you all again for the support and kind messages,” he wrote. “I hope for a speedy recovery. It’s been a tough couple of months.”
In updates to his Instagram story, Woolley shared updates following his surgery and again thanking fans for their support, as well as showing the swelling around his mouth and jaw.
Police confirmed to the Irish Independent that a man in his 20s was transported to hospital after sustaining “non-life threatening injuries.”
“No arrests have been made,” they added. “Investigations are ongoing.”
South Dublin Taekwondo denounced the attack against Woolley in a statement shared to his Instagram, saying the organization was “wholeheartedly appalled at the attack and our thoughts are with Jack, his family and friends at this time.”
“This horrific and unprovoked attack on Jack Woolley is both sickening and deeply concerning,” lawmaker John Lahart said, according to local media. “It’s hard to believe that barely two weeks ago we were all wishing Jack well as he was Ireland’s first-ever competitor in Taekwondo at an Olympic Games, and now this terrible attack has happened.”
Lahart urged police to “take a serious look at the current levels of garda personnel available to police our streets in the wake of this attack.”
In a separate update to his Instagram, Woolley said that he hopes “everyone sees this and realizes the world has changed.”
“Not to be scared, but just to be careful and be aware of our surroundings at all time.”
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