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‘Gymnastics abuse report again shows darker side of sport’

Byadmin

Dan Roan

Anne Whyte’s shocking report into the “systemic” physical and emotional abuse of young athletes is a devastating blow to the reputation of gymnastics.

But as the QC makes clear early on in her 306-page report, while undoubtedly the most serious to date, it is far from the only athlete-welfare scandal to cast a shadow over publicly funded British sports in recent years.

The governing bodies of cycling, swimming and canoeing are just some of the other sports that have had to apologise after inquiries into their cultures. There have also been investigations into allegations at British Judo, British Bobsleigh, and GB Archery. UK Athletics remains under scrutiny over its past record on child safeguarding after an independent review of its policies found a “lack of precision” in lines of responsibility.

With each passing controversy, some of the pride at the supposed thoroughness, attention to detail and professionalism that British sport became known for has been eroded. After all, if the high-performance system was truly world class, how could all this have happened under the noses of sporting authorities?

Indeed, Whyte says in her report: “One wonders how many sporting scandals it will take before the government of the day appreciates it needs to take more action to protect children who participate in sport, a sector where coaches do not have a central regulator and where most complaints lack independent resolution.”

So as more parents now consider whether they want their kids involved in gymnastics, and victims’ legal action against the governing body continues, could all this lead to a rethink of Britain’s whole sporting system?

Read more here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/gymnastics/61837245

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