British Gymnastics chief ‘deeply sorry’ after abuse claim

LONDON: British Gymnastics chairman Mike Darcey on Wednesday said the governing body is “deeply sorry” for letting the sport down following claims of abuse.

British Gymnastics is the subject of a legal claim raised by 37 former gymnasts. The group, which includes three Olympians, allege they were victims of systemic physical and psychological abuse.

British Gymnastics has responded by appointing Sarah Powell as its new chief executive. But Darcey on Wednesday said the organisation, which is complying with an official review into its conduct, must do more to avoid incidents in the future.

“As we reflect on some great moments from the Olympic Games in Tokyo, we also need to acknowledge that, alongside gymnastics growing rapidly over the last decade, our organisation has, on several fronts, failed to keep up with that growth,” he said in a statement.

“The board has taken stock over recent months. It is evident that the executive team and the board have failed to be close enough to the gymnastics community to understand your concerns, and our engagement with those raising concerns has not been good enough.

“We have let you down, and we are deeply sorry for that.” Darcey admitted the coaching culture around gymnastics must change to ensure a less toxic environment for competitors.

“While we acknowledge that there is much good practice within the sport in the UK, we must make it clear to the whole membership that abusive practices including training on injuries, bullying, shouting, and weight shaming are not acceptable,” he said.

“There is increasing awareness of such practices in gymnastics, including globally. “We must do better to ensure there is no place for abuse in our sport. We are determined and committed to change within British Gymnastics and it is not necessary to wait until the Whyte Review reports to start to do that.”