Bombshell report finds ‘toxic’ child sexual abuse in Australian gymnastics - NEWS.com.au

The Australian Human Rights Commission has found gymnastics in Australia has cultivated a culture of child sexual abuse, it was announced on Monday.

The independent review into Gymnastics Australia was announced in September — and the shocking details have now been released to the public.

The report’s key findings included that gymnastics had created “an environment where abuse and mistreatment can thrive”.

The executive summary of the investigation paints a scathing picture of the environments at a junior and elite levels that have allowed abuse to flourish.

The report found Gymnastics Australia had failed to protect the sport from “systemic risk factors for child abuse and neglect, misconduct, bullying, abuse, sexual harassment and assault towards athletes”.

The report, which did not investigate any specific complaint or allegation, has put forward 12 recommendations for the governing body to implement.

The most striking recommendation is for Gymnastics Australia to make a formal apology to members of the community who suffered physical, emotional, sexual, verbal and psychological abuse.

The review outlines that the greatest governance failings are in the development pathways for elite level athletes where a culture of abuse has become normalised.

The Commission consulted with former and current athletes and their families, coaches, officials, administrators, and former and current staff at all levels of the sport before reaching its bombshell verdict.

Unidentified gymnasts are reported to have told the investigation about “sexual misconduct and abuse that occurred during training sessions, in both public and hidden spaces”.

There are claims from gymnasts of coaches using inappropriate physical contact during stretching sessions.

One of the interviewed gymnasts claims in the report her coach “would have an erection, which I would feel him pushing repetitively on my hips or back”.

The most concerning findings include:

— Current coaching practices create a risk of abuse and harm to athletes

— There is an insufficient focus on understanding and preventing the full range of behaviours that can constitute child abuse and neglect in gymnastics

— A focus on ’winning-at-all-costs’ and an acceptance of negative and abusive coaching behaviours has resulted in the silencing of the athlete’s voice and an increased risk of abuse and harm with significant short and long term impacts to gymnasts.

— There is an ongoing focus in gymnastics on the ‘ideal body’, especially for young female athletes. This, in addition to inappropriate and harmful weight management and body shaming practices, can result in the development of eating disorders

— Gymnastics at all levels has not appropriately and adequately addressed complaints of abuse and harm and are not effectively safeguarding children and young people; and

— Intense physical punishment was found to be common practice.

The recommendations outline the plan to stop abuse from being so widely spread within Australian gymnastics.

One of the recommendations is for training and support programs to be implemented for all athletes to prevent and address eating disorders.

Another recommendation calls on Gymnastics Australia to implement a system that ensures all future allegations of child abuse and neglect, misconduct, bullying, sexual harassment, and assault be investigated by an external, independent body.

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2021-05-03 05:12:27Z
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