Ban on Weighing Gymnasts: British Gymnastics Implements Sweeping Welfare Policies
British Gymnastics implements sweeping welfare policies to address reports of bullying, harassment, and excessive control Coaches are now prohibited from weighing gymnasts, among other measures, aiming to create a safer and more supportive environment for athletes in the UK
Under new policies introduced by British Gymnastics, coaches will be prohibited from weighing gymnasts in an effort to address issues of bullying, harassment, and excessive control in the sport. The new rules state that only gymnasts over the age of 10 can be weighed, and it must be done with the gymnast's consent by qualified sport science or medical practitioners, with a clear and scientifically valid rationale. These policies aim to ensure the well-being and autonomy of gymnasts in the UK.
The new policies, the first in a series of measures to enhance athlete welfare, also specify that coaches are prohibited from weighing gymnasts and are required to guarantee that they receive sufficient hydration and toilet breaks. Additionally, gymnasts must not be compelled to skip formal education classes for gymnastics training under the updated policies.
Simone Biles competes in the floor exercise during the World Championships in 2019.
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Simone Biles reshapes the perception of a successful athlete with her historic comeback at the world championships. This comes in the wake of a scathing independent review in June 2022, which found that British Gymnastics had fostered a culture of physical and emotional abuse, failing to create a safe environment for gymnasts and subjecting children to body-shaming, belittlement, and abuse.
Barrister Anne Whyte's review determined that British Gymnastics should have known about the "bullying, harassment, and excessive control" at training clubs from 2008 to 2020. Additionally, former gymnast Claire Heafford revealed to CNN Sport in 2022 that she suffered from symptoms of PTSD after enduring physical and emotional abuse while competing in British gymnastics in the 1990s.
Heafford told CNN's Amanda Davies that she was trained by the first Russian athlete to be brought to the UK in the 1990s. She grew up in a Soviet training camp in the heart of the home counties, which she found difficult to explain to her school friends while attending an ordinary state school.
The 2022 report emphasized the "hiring of a large number of coaches" from the former Soviet Union and the Soviet bloc. These coaches were highly skilled and experienced, but their authoritarian and dismissive attitude towards the gymnasts made the athletes feel like commodities. Despite this, the UK's coaches admired and later adopted the ability of these coaches to produce successful gymnasts.
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Former gymnast who suffered abuse reacts to independent review of British Gymnastics (2022)
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Heafford shared that her experiences in the 1990s are similar to the incidents reported to Whyte, who was hired by UK Sport and Sport England to investigate complaints that British Gymnastics ignored for many years. "When you're a child and you try to speak up but are ignored, it makes you believe that speaking out won't make a difference," said Heafford, who retired from the sport in 1995.
"Following that experience, I completely stopped watching gymnastics and shifted my focus to athletics. It was there that I had amazing experiences and cherished every moment as a track and field athlete. It wasn't until I stopped competing that I began to experience PTSD symptoms from my time in gymnastics."
Upon the release of the Whyte report, British Gymnastics chief executive Sarah Powell acknowledged the organization's failure to support the sport of gymnastics and issued a formal apology on behalf of the governing body.
British Gymnastics released a statement on Wednesday, with Powell emphasizing their focus on the welfare of gymnasts. The new policies aim to provide clarity for everyone involved in the sport, ensuring a clear understanding of what is acceptable and what is not in order to prevent any future misconduct.
