British gymnasts spoke out after Netflix documentary Athlete A fully exposed the extent of abuse in U.S. gymnastics.
By Martha Kelner, Sky News sports correspondent
Last update: 20.06.20 19:18 h
An athlete who represented Britain at the Rio Olympics is one of those who have lodged complaints
British gymnasts, including Olympic athletes and elite rivals, claim the sport is subject to physical and emotional abuse, with some suggesting that their complaints about welfare issues were not taken seriously by the governing body.
A former elite gymnast who retired after a decade in sports, Sky News said she was “subjugated” by a coach.
Another young Olympic hopefighter said he had been bullied so that he considered suicide and felt abandoned by British gymnastics.
In the meantime, a former social worker told Sky News that there was a “culture of fear” within the organization in which affected coaches and parents were too scared to voice their concerns.
The gymnasts were asked to comment after a Netflix documentary, Athlete A, fully exposed the extent of abuse in US gymnastics that enabled the convicted pedophile and former Olympic team doctor Larry Nassar continue to offend.
More than 260 women and girls say Larry Nassar sexually abused her under the guise of medical treatment
Now British athletes are saying that a similarly toxic culture permeates the sport here.
A former elite gymnast who retired after 10 years in sports reported continued abuse from her trainer for several years.
“Mental and physical abuse was the norm,” she said.
“Our trainer mimicked the most extreme abuse as if it were a training method.
“We learned to be more afraid of our trainer than the skills we tried, and that was the only way to do that.”
“I will never know if it was possible to reach my level without it, or if I had not been beaten to submission, I could have been better.”
The woman, now in her mid-twenties, says burning fat is a routine part of the sport, even for younger athletes.
“I was 15 in elite gymnastics,” she said.
“My trainer lets me stand next to an 11-year-old in my crop top and shorts – also in crop top and shorts.
“You made my team, my best friends, point out anything ‘wrong’ with my body that they didn’t share.
“With every point my trainer grabbed my body … the barely available love handles, the thick thighs, the six-pack that is not as prominent as hers.”
Sky News believes that an athlete who represented the UK at the Rio Olympics is one of those who complained to British Gymnastics about physical and emotional abuse by their coach.
Another gymnast, who trained in a center of excellence and hoped to go to the Olympics, said the abusive environment drove her out of the sport.
She filed a complaint with British Gymnastics, but claims that it was not treated properly.
She said: “Several gymnasts from the club had extreme panic attacks because they were afraid to learn a skill or were exhausted.
“They just stood in front of the equipment and cried and asked to go home, but they weren’t allowed to.
“Turner pretended to have a drink, but sneaked onto their phones and called their parents because they could no longer deal with the environment.
“As a result, trainers would threaten to lock our phones away so we couldn’t ask our parents for help.”
Several gymnasts also told Sky News that they were encouraged to train for existing injuries, which often made them worse.
A girl who was only 17 said: “We would think that our injuries were invented – or they didn’t really exist.
“They kept asking us and trying to make us believe that our injuries weren’t really there and that we were pitiful.
“When we felt injured during a training session and told our coaches that they would get angry with us and sometimes throw ice aggressively in our direction – this ultimately resulted in many of us gymnasts only training for injuries because we were too scared , something to say.”
“Many of the gymnasts now have long-term injuries from which they will never recover due to overuse and painful work.”
British gymnastics says there is nothing more important than the welfare of their gymnasts
British Gymnastics says they encourage all athletes to report abuse of their integrity unit.
In a statement, they said: “British Gymnastics condemns any behavior that harms the wellbeing of our gymnasts.
“Such behaviors are completely at odds with our standards of safe coaching. Our positive coaching behavior program, which is mandatory for all coaches, clearly shows why such behaviors are harmful and unacceptable.
“Our integrity department investigates all allegations of emotional abuse and bullying that have been reported to us or identified by our national network of club welfare officers, and takes disciplinary action to prevent recurrence.
“British Gymnastics is for every gymnast across the country. There is nothing more important to us than the wellbeing of our participants and we are constantly striving to create a culture where people feel they can express concerns.”
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