Singapore fitness studio apologises for posting 'racially insensitive' Diwali video on Instagram

Singapore: A Singapore fitness studio, part of the US-based F45 Training franchise, has apologised for a “racially insensitive” Diwali video that was posted on its Instagram account. The studio, in the suburb residential estate of Serangoon Garden, posted a 14-second video on its Instagram story, where two women were seen shaking their heads from side to side while saying “Happy Deepavali”, according to a report by the Channel News Asia (CNA). Some viewers implied the side-to-side head shaking as saying no to the feasts during Diwali, which is one of the official festival celebrations with a full day of holiday in a multi-racial Singapore. The widely circulated video after it was reposted on other accounts has since been deleted from the studio’s page. In a separate Instagram story on Friday, the gym said it “received feedback that this video is racially insensitive”. “F45 has always been a family-friendly and fun place to exercise and we do many fun videos with our members,” it wrote. “Our intentions were never to make fun or hurt anyone’s feelings. Diwali is the festival of lights and love,” the channel quoted F45 as saying. The fitness studio added that it is “very sorry for the mistake and hope to seek your forgiveness”.