Michelle Kinneavy: Former gymnast speaks of historical abuse in the sport

Warning: This article contains content that people may find distressing

“I was taken off site, to a side area of the gymnastics space, so there were no witnesses. I was held there against my will, I was incredibly numb, shocked, just in utter disbelief.”

Michelle Kinneavy was nine years old when she was assaulted by her gymnastics coach.

She has never spoken publicly about what happened to her in the 1980s, but has waived her right to anonymity to do so now.

Decades on, her former coach, Leonard Hollis, was charged by the police, but he died in 2017 before standing trial.

Earlier this year, British Gymnastics agreed a significant settlement with Michelle following her claim for damages, but she says the letter of apology from its outgoing chief executive Jane Allen felt like “a slap in the face”.

The governing body has denied it did “anything but the right thing on this issue”, and said the legal letter was “standard practice”.

Michelle’s decision to tell her story comes after “30 years of holding the ghosts from the past”, and in light of the recent widespread allegations about mistreatment in gymnastics in Britain.

Read more here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/gymnastics/54633729