In a conversation Monday with Off The Ball, Olympic gold medalist Kellie Harrington was asked about an October tweet which praised the work of controversial commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek.

"Very, very sad. A powerful message from Eva Vlaardingerbroek," wrote Harrington in her quote tweet, which was linked to a clip of the journalist on the UK's GB News that read: "Eva Vlaardingerbroek says young girls are being 'sacrificed on the altar of mass migration'."

Vlaardingerbroek, who is known for her far-right rhetoric, alleged that a young girl murdered in Paris in October was the twelfth victim, that year, killed by immigrants, with Harrington writing: "and that's just France." Harrington immediately came under scrutiny for her words and deleted her tweet.

On Monday, OTB journalist Shane Hannon asked the Irish boxer about the controversial Tweet:

"You've had quite a bit of interactions on social media – on Twitter – that have suggested that you have strongly held views on immigration. Are those opinions you still feel strongly about?"

Harrington initially rebuffed the question, before stating "I feel right now, at the moment, that you're trying to hang me out to dry." She then asked to move on, refusing entirely to breach the subject. "Just let it go," she remarked. "I'm not here to talk about politics."

Kellie Harrington discussed her deleted tweet on immigration on #OTBAM. pic.twitter.com/tfwsrlTmrj

— Off The Ball (@offtheball) March 27, 2023

She later released a statement clarifying  her position:

"Last October, I reposted a tweet of a video from a journalist (whom I did not know at the time) detailing the story of a young girl from France who was kidnapped and murdered.

"Moved by the horrific circumstances of this story, I reposted a video of this journalist together with a copy of my quote. My thoughts in that moment were of that young girl and not any political opinion.

"Having realised the significance of my tweet and the hurt caused to a number of people, I immediately deleted the tweet.

"I engaged privately with a number of people who were hurt by my tweet and I apologised to them.

"As a sporting role model I am aware that I need to be mindful of what I do and say. I reacted with my emotions and without the facts. How this came across is not reflective of me as a person or my thoughts.

"I did an interview today during which I was caught off guard. I was not prepared for a question unrelated to sport and my response to the question asked was not definitive

"I do not want to engage in politically sensitive matters.

"What I want to make clear is, through my life in boxing and inside boxing, I have been lucky to have had many multicultural influences and this continues to shape me to this day.

"That is something that shapes me as the person I am today and something I am very grateful for.

"The people closest to me will attest to this. Since the interview, I have seen some comments that I feel I should address and make my feelings and thoughts clear.

"As a sportswoman, I am proud to say I am all about community, inclusion and diversity."