On November 29, 2023, British Gymnastics (BG) published latest rules prohibiting coaches from weighing gymnasts. The governing body’s chief executive, Sarah Powell, described the brand new rule as “a big and positive step forward in sports.”
However, after reading the rules in additional detail, this appears to be a light-weight response to independent review which stated that BG “tolerates” emotional and physical abuse of gymnasts.
In 2020, a Netflix documentary Athlete A exposed a culture of normalized abuse amongst US Gymnastics coaches. This led to the rise of several British gymnasts sharing their very own stories abuse. For example, former Olympic and Commonwealth Games medalist Lisa Mason said she was made to coach until her hand bled and coaches surgical spirit was poured on her hands.
The coaches also put artificial turf under the bar, so her feet burned once they touched the bottom, she added. Francesca Fox, a rhythmic gymnastics competitor on the 2012 London Olympics, said she was told she “looked like a hippopotamus”.
Their stories showed how this behavior occurred it was standardized in gymnastic culture.
In 2022 Whyte’s review, an independent review has been published into allegations of mistreatment of British gymnasts. She emphasized culture ‘catastrophic security failures’ including serious injury training, weight shaming of athletes, a poor grievance system, and physical and emotional abuse in addition to bullying.
Complaints have been reported about coaches refusing to let gymnasts drink water and use the toilet during long practices, using their body weight forcing children to dig deeper and search through their belongings for food.
Surface scratches
At first glance, the brand new policy may seem to be an appropriate response to the crisis persistent problem excessive workload, especially for elite gymnasts. Whyte’s review describes this culture as “tyranny of weight”. But the closer you look, the more questions arise.
The policy allows sports scientists and doctors to weigh gymnasts, and other people 11 years and older can self-report their weight during gymnastics exercises. It says: “The weighing of gymnasts can only be carried out with a view to the gymnast’s optimal long-term development and with a clear, scientifically sound rationale.”
But can an 11-12 months-old athlete meaningfully consent? Verification tests children’s participation in sports activities emphasized that “children are more likely to express disagreement using non-verbal body language, which may be more difficult to ‘hear’.”
It’s hard to search out a scientific reason for weighing athletes. Tests showed that limiting caloric intake is related to delayed puberty, a greater tendency to microfractures and a weaker immune system.
There is a misconception that lighter gymnasts perform higher, however the research on body composition and performance is unclear. Previous research suggested that a lower body mass index is related to increased performance, but that too low a body mass index negatively affects performance.
The policy can also be clear that “coaches are not permitted to weigh gymnasts. Gymnasts can self-report their weight. It ignores power imbalance within the coach-athlete relationship. For example, coaches sometimes denied access to food and water.
Former elite gymnasts who participated in interviews for 2022 study concerning the long-term psychological effects of abuse during their gymnastics profession, they talked about feeling ashamed of their bodies. One gymnast said, “My coach would call me fat in the gym or a big girl.” Some former gymnasts within the study continued to struggle with anorexia, depression and post-traumatic stress 20 years after retiring.
AND 2023 study of 769 British female athletes said 91% of respondents were concerned about their caloric intake.
You do not have to weigh an athlete to manage their weight.
Can we actually change the culture?
Will gymnasts be safer? Bottom line is, we don’t think it.
Establishing latest policies demonstrates the extent of leadership of the PCs. Two latest rules regarding hydration AND athlete’s educationstating that gymnasts should have access to refreshments and toilet breaks every time they need them and will only miss classes in exceptional circumstances.
However, we will not be convinced that minor changes or updates to social policy will result in cultural change.
Just because a policy exists does not imply people will implement it. It will cost lots of money to implement it. Coaches who’ve been in the game for a long time and have won quite a few medals may imagine they know best and ignore this policy. American gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi he reveled in his reputation as a tyrant.
A BG spokesman said: “We have consistently said that changing culture is a significant undertaking – no one else can do it, which is why this policy is just one part of a much broader reform effort that is currently being implemented.”
We found by our research that gymnasts live in a harsh reality, closed from the skin. We have found that the culture is reluctant to embrace scientific advances in sports psychology, injuries and nutrition. Instead, gymnastics culture develops due to mantra: if it really works this fashion, why should I alter it?
Except it didn’t work – it broke the athletes. In order to maneuver forward, the PC should know their history and be sure that it’s faithfully presented.
Instead of recording videos using attractive visual effectsthey need to dedicate a page on their website to survivors’ stories. The gymnasts tried very hard on social media to present their testimony. Let’s listen. This would perhaps be a less pretty technique to take care of the situation, but it surely can be a more realistic and powerful step towards changing the culture.
