We must act now... We cannot sit around any longer
Grey-Thompson in call for legislation
BARONESS Tanni Grey-Thompson believes the publication of the Whyte Review, which has laid bare a shocking culture of physical and emotional abuse in British gymnastics, must lead to the Government taking a role in preventing similar scandals in the future.
It is more than five years since another report, ‘Duty of Care in Sport’, compiled by Baroness Grey-Thompson herself, was published. It had been commissioned by the then sports minister, Tracey Crouch, and came up with seven ‘priority recommendations’ to eliminate harmful environments in sport.
Since the London 2012 Olympics, there have been bullying, abuse and welfare scandals in British sports from cycling and swimming to bobsleigh, athletics, canoeing and gymnastics.
The shocking findings in the review of gymnastics was put together over two years by Anne Whyte QC, and includes evidence from more than 400 people. Up to half of Whyte’s witnesses described physical and emotional abuse. Sexual abuse allegations were made in 30 submissions.
Harrowing testimony from children as young as seven described how gymnasts have been slapped, spat on and forced to undertake dangerous routines against their will. Many testified they had been ‘fat shamed’, refused access to food and water, and developed eating disorders and mental health issues as a consequence.
‘It is just utterly dreadful to read about the experiences,’ Baroness Grey-Thompson told The Mail on Sunday. ‘If this is not the moment, now, to make meaningful change, in all sport, then what on earth are we doing? We can’t just sit around any longer.’
One of the main recommendations of the 2017 report from Baroness Grey-Thompson (right) was the establishment of a body that ‘should have powers to hold national governing bodies to account for the duty of care they provide to all athletes, coaching staff and support staff’.
Other proposals included every governing body having a ‘duty of care guardian’ on their board, and making this a mandatory requirement to receive public funding. A duty of care charter was also suggested ‘explicitly setting out how participants, coaches and support staff can expect to be treated and where they can go if they need advice, support and guidance’.
But Grey-Thompson’s report recommendations were shelved. Responding to the Whyte findings, Grey-Thompson said, ‘Of course this is complicated territory. There’s a price to pay for being involved in elite sport. You’ve got to be physically and mentally resilient.
‘But there has to be a line where success or even participation doesn’t come at too much of a cost. We’re talking about humans, and people in sport should be free from harm and bullying and abuse. ‘When I did my report, spoke to athletes who had gone through some really difficult stuff, and I don’t mean tough training. Abuse.
‘Lots of bodies don’t want legislation, but maybe this is the time. It’s the government that needs to play a convening role to bring things together.’
The Whyte Review says that a ‘cash for medals’ culture in British Olympic sport, which has arisen since the arrival of Lottery funding, may have contributed to the gymnastics scandal.
Whyte was damning about British Gymnastics’ failure to keep a full record of complaints between 2008 and 2016. ‘The ungenerous interpretation is that the mission process was window dressing for those sports, like gymnastics, where... the medals mattered more than amber ratings and more than athlete welfare.’
Baroness Grey-Thompson said, ‘Do people watching sport know or care how many medals Team GB win? They remember moments, not numbers of medals.
‘So many athletes and coaches have told me they are routinely introduced by the colour of medals they have won, and that cannot be right. We are all people first and foremost.’