Bullying, bias claim in judging
Allegations of bullying and intimidation, score fixing and biased judging at national level women’s artistic gymnastics have been uncovered by the Stuff investigation into the sport.
Several judges spoken to by Stuff claim intimidation and bullying by senior and head judges – some internationally recognised – leads to pressure to change their scores to benefit certain athletes favoured by the more senior judges. They claim there is a normalised culture on judging panels regarding bullying, intimidation and score tampering.
‘‘They feel very strongly about getting the result that they think should happen,’’ a senior judge said. ‘‘They put pressure on you by making you feel tiny [and] to think about your deductions. And essentially ‘encouraging’ you to change [your score].’’
The judges – some qualified senior judges – have spoken to Stuff, following an investigation into alleged abusive practices in gymnastics in New Zealand.
That investigation found allegations of emotional manipulation, fat-shaming of athletes and gymnasts being forced to compete on serious injuries. Coaches have also alleged bullying in the sport.
Judging consists of a panel made up of two to four judges. At senior level women’s artistic gymnastics two brevet (internationally recognised) judges sit on the panel, alongside two other senior judges and a junior judge who oversees time keeping.
When three or more judges are on a panel an athlete’s highest and lowest apparatus scores are dismissed, and the remaining scores averaged out. Judges make deductions on an athlete’s routine, then their scores are officially ‘‘recorded’’.
There are allegations scores are tampered with, either at the judging table or after the official recording process, to get a higher average score for certain athletes. For other athletes, scores can be deflated.
The judges say sometimes scores do genuinely need to be changed to ensure athletes are ranked fairly, but that is not always the case.
‘‘It’s supposed to be a consensus. Everybody on that panel is supposed to agree. And we’re supposed to essentially rank kids and make sure that they’re in the correct order,’’ one judge told Stuff.
‘‘But you’re absolutely not allowed to change your score because you don’t agree with the other person on your panel. I don’t even know if that’s explicitly written down, to be honest.’’
A senior judge said younger judges can refuse to change their scores, but refusal is often ‘‘awkward’’ and not worth the effort.
Speaking up, she said, can have a detrimental effect on your reputation. ‘‘Nothing you say even matters, there’s just no power at all,’’ she said.
They say some judges are ‘‘clearly biased’’ towards athletes from the clubs they are associated with. ‘‘Some judges are unable to put their bias aside,’’ one said.
Gymnastics New Zealand chief executive Tony Compier said it was not ‘‘appropriate’’ to comment regarding the allegations and instead urged those with concerns to access the Independent Review or Sport New Zealand’s Independent Complaints Mechanism (ICM).