Four-time Olympic medallist Louis Smith says he receives death threats "every day" after a video was leaked in which he apparently mocks Islam.
Smith, 29, has said he was "deeply sorry" for his "thoughtless actions" and could face "suspension or expulsion" by British Gymnastics.
Speaking to the BBC, he said he has experienced "a lot of hatred from the Muslim community" after the video surfaced.
"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."
Smith, who has won medals at the past three Olympic Games, has already been censured twice this year by British Gymnastics.
In April, he apologised for questioning the judging at the British Championships, where he was beaten to pommel gold by Max Whitlock.
He was also reprimanded in June for posting an image on social media of an American gymnast, who was 16 when the photograph was taken, accompanied by a comment British Gymnastics said was "unbefitting to a participant".