A guest post by @KatLPugh “Players are not machines” https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54307869 I was lying in bed this morning celebrating Manchester United’s bizarre manner of victory yesterday and struck by reading an article on the BBC where Guardiola was lamenting on the mounting injuries in the Manchester City team. It’s no secret that footballers will often be …
Inspired by others speaking out, an acro parent has written to me with a guest blog that reveals the true nature of Acrobatic Gymnastics: “I’m hearing terrible stories about Acro gymnastics. You’re not hearing them because people are terrified (literally) to speak out, even anonymously. They say acro is so toxic, ‘incestuous’ and cult-like that …
Acro Gymnastics Revealed: Toxic, Incestuous, Cult-like Read More »
The world of ‘acro’ gymnastics is a small and intense one that first came to prominence when Spellbound won Britain’s Got Talent. Very few ‘accro’ gymnasts or parents have dared to speak out publicly even anonymously as they are afraid of the retribution that might follow. Hopefully, with the support of the rest of us, …
The World of Acrobatic Gymnastics: The Lid Starts to Come Off… Read More »
Another harrowing account from a guest. Sadly, I know of many young lives that could have been saved from long-term physical and mental injury had BG acted when they received this complaint. To preface this account – I’ve tried to include rough dates where I remember. Our gym trained in a school sports hall so …
Can we start with a question which I’m sure is on everyone’s minds – how can we get involved in the review? I’ve seen plenty of information about people’s concerns about the review’s impartiality, which has led to British Gymnastics stepping aside (although I appreciate there are still concerns), I also understand that the logs …
In the light of “Athlete A” and “In the Heart of Gold” documentaries, as well as the statements of all the brave gymnasts all around the world, I decided I could no longer be silent about my own little gymnastics trauma.I seemed to be born to be a gymnast. I was tiny but muscular. I …
For a long time, when asked what sport I was doing, I would reply proudly “I’m a gymnast”. I grew up, thinking I would go to the Olympics. Because that is the goal, right? The one you dream about, the one that gets you going to the gym with a smile on your face. How …
Marco Knippen @MarcoKnippen At her practice, sports psychologist Karin de Bruin counsels gymnasts who have fallen victim to transgressive behaviour and sexual abuse. She obtained her doctorate in 2010 on the subject of eating disorders among athletes. “I’ve now been working in sports counselling for 20 years and basically, nothing has changed. What went on …
July 25, 2020 / Noordhollands Dagblad, The Netherlands Marco Knippen @MarcoKnippen A tough regime was to yield international success at the top. The harrowing harvest was pure torment. Top-level gymnastics in the Netherlands has come to be synonymous with fear, abuse, repression, humiliation and ultimately trauma, a price no victim wants to pay. The terror …
Abused, humiliated and deprived of your identity Read More »
July 25, 2020 / Noordhollands Dagblad, The Netherlands Marco Knippen @MarcoKnippen He is the personification of abuse in Dutch gymnastics. “And quite rightly so,” admits Gerrit Beltman, “because my behaviour simply cannot be condoned in any way.” It is the reason why he now wears a hair shirt, but at the same time, there is …
Renowned gymnastics coach Gerrit Beltman: ‘I was possessed, and I was not alone’ Read More »
This is common. Parents write letters of complaint but don’t dare send them. Another I know of details how a primary school boy was not only thrown out of the gym, but out of the building in winter, in the dark, in a dangerous area and told to ring his father to come get him. …
A horrific complaint to BG that a parent wrote but didn’t dare send Read More »
Has it ever occurred to you that our top gymnasts have succeeded DESPITE the way they have been coached and not because of it? A few months ago, I noticed this tweet from a senior sports psychology lecturer: I was astonished. Here she was, a grown, highly-educated adult, yet her conditioned beliefs, moulded by an …
The ‘Fine Line’ Between Tough Coaching and Abuse Read More »
I have taken a great deal of consideration as to whether I should share some of my information. After seeing @EllisOReilly1‘s harrowing story on ITV last night and the subsequent response from Europa Centre, I feel I have no option but to respond. In a statement to ITV News Europa Centre denied any wrongdoing & …
A response to Europa Gymnastics Centre’s Statement Read More »
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 …
A letter to Jane Allen MBE, CEO British Gymnastics Read More »
G Gymnast@g_gymnast on Twitter has bravely spoken out, she says “Writing down some of my story feels like a weight has been lifted, I had no idea. The gymnastics community truly is supportive and I myself can’t thank you enough. If any others feel like they need to talk to someone with similar experiences please …
Bullying, Humiliation and Abuse: A Gymnast’s Story Read More »
What follows is a complaint letter sent to the Ethics & Welfare Officer at British Gymnastics in 2015. It paints a vivid and disturbing picture of life in an abusive gym. It was written within days of the children being withdrawn. Further incidents were provided in follow up emails along with the full contact details …
Emotional & Physical Abuse in a BG Gym: The Complaint That Achieved…Nothing Read More »