An independent review into gymnastics in Australia says the sport has enabled a culture of physical, emotional and sexual abuse which many participants have described as “toxic”.

The report, carried out by the Australian Human Rights Commission, made 12 recommendations around five key findings, most of which detailed negative experiences by young gymnasts, particularly at the elite level.

Noting that the “athlete population in gymnastics is predominately young and female”, the report explored power imbalances between athletes and coaches, body shaming and bullying, and a “win-at-all-costs” culture – all of which it said helped “create an environment where abuse and mistreatment can thrive”.

The report did not investigate any specific allegations of abuse or misconduct.

But it found that:

• Current coaching practices created a risk of harm and abuse for athletes
• A “win at all costs” culture increased the risk, and led to athletes being silenced
• There was insufficient understanding of what constituted child abuse, and not enough focus on preventing it
• A focus on an “ideal body” resulted in the development of eating disorders among athletes, which often continued long after they left the sport
• Complaints of abuse from athletes were not adequately addressed by the sport’s governing bodies, and young gymnasts – most of them children – were not being protected

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins commended the “bravery and determination of all those who shared their experiences”, and expressed her hope Gymnastics Australia took up the report’s recommendations.

“The review found that there are significant cultural challenges within the sport of gymnastics in Australia, cutting across coaching practices, the health, safety and wellbeing of gymnasts, complaints and investigations, and governance,” Ms Jenkins said.

“For all gymnasts, and particularly the girls and young women who make up the majority of gymnasts in Australia, I urge the sport to work swiftly and collaboratively to implement the recommendations included in this report and ensure child safety is considered a core responsibility at all levels.”

Many gymnasts have been forced to train and compete with serious injuries. Photo: ABC News: Lori Youmshajekian

Young girls exposed to perils of elite sport

Of the approximately 321,000 participants in gymnastics in Australia, 77 per cent are female and 91 per cent are under the age of 12.

In 2017, the average age of all participants was eight.

The commission conducted 47 interviews with 57 participants for the report.

The report found that “it is still widely accepted within the gymnastics community that a female gymnast reaches their peak in their pre-pubescent years”, meaning young girls are thrust into the world of elite sport before they are physically and emotionally prepared to handle it.

And while many of the people interviewed by the report spoke fondly of gymnastics at its local and club levels, the overwhelming impression was that the problems began once those elite pathways opened up.

“A lot of inappropriate and abusive behaviour was normalised in the gymnastics community,” one interviewee was quoted as saying.

“Minors were restricted from communicating with their parents for days or weeks at a time; strength and conditioning was frequently used as punishment; being yelled at was common and expressions of emotion were further ridiculed and punished; disordered eating was normalised as necessary to success in the sport; athletes were regularly made to train through and compete on injuries.”

The report found that the abuse and pressure experienced, particularly by young girls in gymnastics, led to them forming a “sense of hatred and rejection” towards the sport.

Physical and sexual abuse rife

Intense physical punishment was found to be common practice when gymnasts “did not want to perform a skill, made a mistake … or spoke back to the coaches”.

One case study recalled “being asked to complete strength exercises my body literally could not manage”, like completing a handstand against a wall for over two minutes. The athlete could not complete the task, but was forced to spend an entire three-hour session repeatedly attempting it.

Others reported being painfully stretched by coaches in order to increase flexibility, and said the rules were “if you cried, the stretching would last longer and it would be more painful”.

The report found athletes were “actively discouraged from reporting injuries’, and that painkillers and other medications were overused to keep gymnasts in competition.

Former gymnasts from the taxpayer-funded Australian Institute of Sport outline allegations of child physical, psychological and sexual abuse, going back decades.

One told of her coach “displaying unwanted affection, such as thigh grabbing” and said often during stretching sessions “he would have an erection, which I would feel him pushing repetitively on my hips or back”.

Another said the gymnasts would develop “signs and signals” to avoid certain coaches and situations.

“We whispered things like, ‘He’s got wandering hands today, try and avoid him if you can,'” the interviewee said.

In many cases, parents were discouraged from watching training, which the report said helped create an environment in which abuse was more likely as “perpetrators seek out opportunities to abuse in environments where there is little supervision or oversight”.

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-ABC