British Gymnastics to investigate alleged abuse of elite athletes
British Gymnastics has announced an independent inquiry into “shocking and upsetting” allegations of serious physical and emotional abuse made by multiple elite athletes, including fresh claims of fat-shaming by one London 2012 Olympian.Francesca Fox, who competed as a rhythmic gymnast at the London 2012 Games, told ITV on Tuesday night that she was constantly told she was “fat” and “looked like a hippo” and ended up weighing herself up to 10 times a day as a result.Her comments came a day after another former British Olympian, the gymnast Lisa Mason, said she had been made to train until her hands ripped and bled. “My hands would then be pulled down and surgical spirit would be poured all over them,” she added. “I would also have
AstroTurf put under the bars so I would burn my feet if I didn’t keep them up. But everyone else is going through it, so you think it’s normal.”A third leading gymnast has claimed that she was locked in a cupboard by her coach as a 10-year-old. The gymnasts who spoke out have been given strong support by those within the sport. Becky Downie, a 2019 world championship silver medallist on the uneven bars, tweeted:
Jane Allen, chief executive of British Gymnastics, admitted that the sheer weight of allegations by gymnasts showed that many felt they could not talk to sport’s governing body. ““It is clear that gymnasts did not feel they could raise their concerns and it is vital that an independent review helps us better understand why so we can remove any barriers as quickly as possible,” she said.
Announcing the independent investigation, which will be led by Jane Mulcahy QC, Allen added: “The behaviours we have heard about in recent days are completely contrary to our standards of safe coaching and have no place in our sport .” Increasing numbers of former British gymnasts have been encouraged to speak out after the recent broadcast of the US documentary Athlete A, which detailed abuse of gymnasts and the crimes of the USA team doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexual offences against hundreds of underage American gymnasts.But Mason has suggested that current British gymnasts still fear speaking out in case they are punished by not being selected for the
Tokyo Games. “The Olympics is next year and we don’t want to rock the boat and upset the people who make those decisions,” she added.UK Sport, the funding body of Olympic sport in Britain, which has given the sport £16m since 2017, said it would also be investigating the claims. “These allegations relating to the treatment of young athletes within gymnastics are shocking and upsetting,” it said. “There is absolutely no place for any sort of bullying or abuse in sport and anyone responsible for such behaviour must be held accountable, with support offered to those affected .” However, the latest revelations will raise fresh questions about whether UK Sport has done enough to protect athletes in Olympic and Paralympic sports. Over the past four years, Jess Varnish and other cyclists have alleged sexism and disability discrimination at British Cycling, and there have also been concerns raised at British Bobsleigh, British Swimming and British Canoeing. According to separate reports on Tuesday evening, gymnasts from three centres of excellence across the UK had also claimed they were “fat-shamed” by their coaches. Scarlett Williams, a promising athlete who trained at Nottingham Gymnastics Academy, told Sky News: “Our lunchboxes would be checked and if any ‘packaged food’ was in there of chocolate or sweets, it would get thrown away. Comments were made to gymnasts like: ‘You can’t land that skill from all the sweets you have been eating.’”In a statement, Nottingham Gymnastics Academy said: “The allegations that have been brought to our attention are deeply concerning. No one should ever be subjected to the kind of treatment you describe. British Gymnastics has confirmed to us that their integrity unit investigates all allegations of emotional abuse and bullying that are reported to them. As a result, it would not be appropriate for us to discuss individual cases that may be under investigation.”