A letter to Jane Allen MBE, CEO British Gymnastics

Dear Jane,

I understand that you are coming under considerable pressure concerning your role in the current crisis embroiling British Gymnastics. I would like to take this opportunity to explore the reasons for that.

Broadly, I see two possible explanations. For the first, I will take you at your word, which is that “athlete welfare plays an essential role within our performance culture and decision making” In fact in 2017 you were more explicit “We want to make the nation proud but ‘how we win’ is just as important. This administration has never had a desire to win at any cost and under my leadership I expect the athletes’ welfare to be given the highest priority.”

If we accept this as true, then the only explanation possible, to be candid, is gross incompetence on your part. How can someone run an organization for ten years and be unaware that it is so utterly failing to uphold what it claims as one of its core values? It simply beggars belief. As a relative outsider in gymnastics, even I could reel off a list of high-profile gyms and very high-ranking coaches that are notorious for their abusive practices. And I am not talking rumours Jane, I am talking about, widely known, widely experienced fact. If I know this Jane, then how is it that YOU claim not to?

You have also said that “As CEO of British Gymnastics, I strive to instil a culture of honesty, openness, trust, respect and support. I always welcome debate and listen to constructive feedback.”. Now, I of course understand that as CEO of a large organization you will not be able to spend all of your time personally monitoring what goes on in the nation’s gyms, however, in a well-run organization, I would expect the CEO to have their figurative finger on the pulse of such vitally important matters. In my time as a school governor for example, I have, with my colleagues been responsible for the strategic aspects of governing a school, and while we were in no way involved in daily operational matters, it was our responsibility to robustly monitor these to ensure that they met with agreed strategic goals and core values. If you honestly do not know what is going on in your organization then it is high time that you reflect on why that might be the case and whether this is acceptable. If you genuinely believe in athlete welfare you had the opportunity when you joined BG in 2010 to make much-need changes, and then again in 2017 when athletes and coaches bravely spoke out. Instead their voices were diminished and dismissed by you and nothing changed.

The other explanation for your failure is darker, and I am afraid involves the possibility of some level of mendacity on your part.  It is that there has been a deliberate policy to hide the truth. Presumably, this has been done in the belief that “tough” coaching is the only way to achieve gymnastics excellence and the medals/funding/glory/ and yes, MBEs that go with that.  As a parent once normalized into accepting at least some elements of what I now realise was outright abuse, I can understand how that culture has gained such ground. This ‘belief system’ has then been hidden and protected behind a carefully crafted facade that includes an apparently ‘gold standard’ safeguarding policy. Unfortunately, a good policy on its own, especially one that is open to being manipulated, is not sufficient to oppose the effects of a deep and endemic counterculture.

Let us consider the evidence for this allegation.

Lionising of people long associated with abusive practice

Just this year you/ BG invited your long-time colleague in Australia, Peggy Liddick, former sidekick to Steve Nunno (himself an acolyte of infamous Bela Karolyi), to headline at a gala coaching event. Not only did many BG coaches find her inclusion shocking, but some of the examples she gave of her good ‘coaching’ were nothing less than chilling. How could you have unaware of Liddicks reputation and the poor signal this might send? And if you were ignorant before the event, why then was there no statement from BG repudiating the example her stories set?

Gaslighting response to complaints

That your initial, repeated instinct in this current crisis, was to gaslight the many victims of BG’s abusive practices is troubling. In case you are unsure, gaslighting is defined as “A form of intimidation or psychological abuse where false information is presented to the victim, making them doubt their own memory, perception and quite often, their sanity.” Day after day, gymnasts of all ages spoke out of their horrendous experiences, many under your watch, and your response was to continue the patently nonsense mantra that BG valued athletes’ welfare above all.

Misrepresenting the problem

You also now also appear to claim that BG didn’t know because nobody told you. Yes, there are barriers to complaining, the biggest one being the widely known fact that BG does absolutely nothing of substance about such complaints and furthermore, that the complainant or their children are often ‘punished’ for doing so. There are countless reports by people who submitted complaints to BG only for them to be fobbed off for months or even years, and for nothing to result but further anguish for the victims.

Strange outcomes

In 2017 you said of one particularly infamous case “Our safeguarding processes are robust and I can assure people that complaints and appeals, regardless of their nature, are dealt with fairly and effectively where we have the authority to act. This includes the two cases referred to in the Guardian article today and therefore we refute the accusations made. “

Given your public statement refuting mismanagement of this case, I would like to challenge you to make the details of that investigation public so that we all can see your “robust processes” in action. This time, however, I encourage you/BG to actually speak to the victims and witnesses involved. The primary gymnast involved has now spoken out publicly and I can assure you that many of the witnesses are equally prepared to do so (as they were always prepared to speak to BG).

It is a puzzling case indeed, because rather than suffer any sanction, and despite further serious complaints, the alleged abuser, infamous across BG for their coaching ‘style’, was rewarded with a post as a Performance Pathway coach and was promoted by BG as an example of good coaching practice.

Trampolining and tumbling abuse

Your now publicly documented support of Craig’s Lowther’s aggressive “no nonsense” trampolining programme, designed, at your behest he says, ‘to drag trampolining kicking and screaming into the 21st century’ is deeply concerning as is your diktat, on his ‘timely’ resignation amid claims of bullying and emotional abuse, against people discussing the reason his leaving. (see ITV news 13/07/2020).

Conclusion

So, Jane, which is it? Incompetence, or the sort of ‘willful blindness’ that many before you have used to protect themselves from allegations of promoting abuse? While from your public statements of ‘shame’ and ‘shock’ it seems that you are leaning towards the former, either way, by remaining in post you continue to do a great disservice, not only to the many gymnasts, who have suffered and continue to suffer, but also to the many successful positive coaches, judges and BG officials who have long been appalled at the way your BG conducts itself.  And while I may have highlighted one particularly egregious case, please do not come away with the impression that sidelining or even removing a few coaches is going to do the trick. This coach, and others like them, only exists because of the systemic culture that created, encouraged, and then protected them. It is those who are responsible for the existence of that culture who must now go. Even if the recent distressing testimonies have prompted you to renounce the ways of the past, then you must know, in your heart, that you cannot possibly be the one to take BG forward.

Whatever your explanation, I am afraid that you, and others responsible, must now do the right thing, the only thing that might regain the trust of everyone with an interest in the future success of British Gymnastics. It will not be enough Jane, to scapegoat a few clubs or coaches. We know where the skeletons are, and we know who can or can’t be trusted with the future of this sport.

Sincerely,

A parent of 4 daughters abused under your watch and whose complaint to BG sadly failed to prevent the further abuse of children.