Former gymnasts sue the British Federation

A group of 17 former athletes will sue the National Federation in the British Artistic Gymnastics abuse scandal.

London (SID) – In the British Artistic Gymnastics abuse scandal, a group of 17 former athletes filed a lawsuit against the British Gymnastics Federation for “systematic physical and psychological abuse”. It calls for an official apology, compensation and improved guidelines for coaches.

The group, which includes three Olympic participants, announced their plans in a letter. Athletes between the ages of six and 23 experienced “inappropriate physical violence” by their coaches. There were also “unfounded” measures in weight management. At the end of the previous year, Jane Allen, president of the gymnastics union, resigned over the scandal.

According to Jennifer Pinches, who resigned after participating in the 2012 Summer Games in London, Benchs said, “Platforms have stood above people for a very long time in British gymnastics. This is just the beginning of the profound changes we are advocating.” She wants to fight for justice.

The British gymnastics team responded on Friday with a statement: “We received the letter on the afternoon of 25 February. It would not be appropriate or fair for all parties if we made any comments before we had a chance to fully examine them,” he said in the letter.

Pinches is the co-director of Gymnasts for Change. “It’s not just a few bad apples,” said Claire Hifford, the campaign manager. “It’s about decades of systematic abuse.” There have also been similar allegations in Germany, the United States, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

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Posted in Turnen (International) on February 26, 2021