Review blues:
Why gymnastics scandal will likely end with a whimper,
As soon as the first family talked to the Herald about their allegations of abuse at the hands of gymnastics coaches, we made a commitment to listen to them, and to all the stories that followed.
It has been a long and harrowing week. Not for me, it should be noted, as it has been a privilege to share their stories. For many of the athletes, however, it has meant reopening doors to parts of their past they were glad to have left behind.
As always with these type of stories, there has been a lot of noise but theirs are the only voices that matter. Sure, the clubs must be given the opportunity to respond but they can really offer only what they’ve been trained to say.
The story does not belong to chief executive Tony Compier and Gymnastics New Zealand. Compier might be hurting. He might be sincere in his desire for a culture change in the sport. It doesn’t really matter at this stage. It won’t give back Joanne’s childhood, Poppy’s self-esteem or Angie’s confidence and it won’t resolve any of the guilt their parents feel for failing to see the signs that all wasn’t well in his sport.
It is not Peter Miskimmin or Sport New Zealand’s story. All they
can offer is the last thing we need: another classic sports review echo chamber.
Here’s how it’ll go.
It will be started with great vigour, conducted by David Howman, an honest man with an honest brand. It will end. Its filings will be filed in a filing cabinet alongside those filings already filed by Dew and Cottrell and Heron and Muir and Mackinnon and some other in-crowd lawyer whose name escapes.
Genuinely interesting findings will be found; only screamingly selfevident summary findings will be announced. They will be solemnly delivered. The sports minister will weigh in weightily and emptily.
The story has started with a bang. At an educated guess, it will end with a whimper — we’ve seen this movie too many times.
Gymnastics is just the latest sport facing the latest problems, albeit in unique circumstances. There are no other Olympic sports where the best practitioners are physically undeveloped girls.
Even given those distinctive circumstances, we can no longer feign surprise that this sort of stuff happens when teen sport, even kids’ sport, is increasingly commercialised, commoditised, academised, professionalised and televised.
Gross things happen in gross environments.
Like all previous scandals and the ones to follow, keywords and phrases will be waved around like glow sticks at a trance house party. Listen out for things such as integrity processes, integrity mechanisms and integrity initiatives. While essentially meaningless, they will be delivered with the utmost integrity.
Among it all, a brave bunch of young women will get on with their lives as best they can, each carrying with them stories that matter.