The Foundation for Global Sports Development delivers and supports initiatives that promote fair play, education, and the benefits of abuse-free sport for youth.
White Law PLLC was founded to provide more personalized representation to clients facing legal dilemmas. Whether you have an issue that is complex or relatively straightforward, any legal matter can have a significant impact on your life. Our team of experienced lawyers based in Okemos, Michigan, strive to deliver outstanding legal services that exceed your expectations. We utilize our extensive legal knowledge and the latest in technology to bring you effective and proven solutions to your legal issues.
Coach forced 7-year-old gymnast to perform painful stretches using body weight as force
Coach forced 7-year-old gymnast to perform painful stretches using body weight as forceThis included: “Physical punishment associated with physical contact between the coach and the gymnast” Gymnasts must train with known injuries Overstretching as a Form of Flexibility Management Ninety submissions describing “no food/water/access to the toilet during training” from 30 different clubs. The stories were heartbreaking, including those of gymnasts who were “physically beaten if they weren’t at attention” and one seven-year-old girl who was “sat” on her by an adult coach to stretch a certain stretch. White wrote, “One former elite gymnast said she was made to stand on the BALANCE BEAM for two hours because she was afraid to try a certain skill.” There have been several allegations of gymnasts being tied to the bars for extended periods of time, “sometimes under great stress”, and others. ordered to climb the rope because they needed to go to the bathroom”The report continued: “A parent reported that two trainers simultaneously pushed their child’s legs into the splits. One international gymnast explained that their personal trainer sat on the gymnast’s lower back, pressing his legs to the floor and then lifting his knee, causing severe pain. I was told that at no stage was the gymnast asked about the process or how it affects them. Another gymnast said they didn’t know how their legs didn’t ‘break’ when sprained. White was also told “repeatedly” that gymnasts were pressured to continue training when they suffered injuries, including fractures, dislocations, or broken bones, or developed medical conditions that were subsequently diagnosed. On emotional ABUSE Half of the stories dealt with emotional ABUSE, including: Inappropriate verbal communication Gaslighting Emotional Punishment Suppression of the athlete’s emotions and opinions Overly controlling behavior “In almost all cases, the behavior reported amounted to bullying, as defined by BG,” White wrote. Gymnasts have described struggling with dangerous skills due to a mental block similar to that described by US Olympic gymnast Simone Biles at last year’s Tokyo Games. But the coaches met them without sympathy: “If a gymnast struggled with a skill, often with a mental block due to a dangerous movement, he would stay on the equipment to practice that skill, crying, bleeding, exhausted or even injured until until they either didn’t do it, or they were yelled at. One coach advised the gymnasts to ignore nutritionist advice given to their parents. Tellingly, White wrote in her report that several trainers she spoke to declined to discuss weight management. According to White, since 2004 the BG definition of physical ABUSE has included inappropriately restricting a child’s diet, and yet “despite awareness of the pitfalls of overweight control”, BG’s guidance on weight management was not detailed and was not clear until 2020. “Whatever the motivation for excessive weight control,” she concluded, “the methodology did not consider the well-being of the gymnast and reflected the priority of performance over well-being.” About sexual violence There were 30 allegations of sexual ABUSE, but White concluded that the behavior was not “systematic” or “indulgent” in sports. as opposed to emotional and physical ABUSE. While not the bulk of the ABUSE included in the review, sexual ABUSE has remained a topic of discussion since the British gymnastics scandal first erupted. In May 2021, a Olx Praca Sport report found that British Gymnastics fired the coach only 12 years after he was first reported on allegations of sexual ASSAULT, and more than a year after police recommended that he be suspended from coaching activity has become permanent. The examples included in White’s review were also shocking: “Issues raised ranged from reports of grooming and sexual harassment to sexual remarks and inappropriate relationships between coaches and gymnasts. Other examples of reported behavior were female gymnasts being tickled, needlessly touching their buttocks during gymnastic movements, threatening kisses as punishment for not following instructions, and sexualized personal comments.
Download View in BrowserThe Foundation for Global Sports Development delivers and supports initiatives that promote fair play, education, and the benefits of abuse-free sport for youth.
White Law PLLC was founded to provide more personalized representation to clients facing legal dilemmas. Whether you have an issue that is complex or relatively straightforward, any legal matter can have a significant impact on your life. Our team of experienced lawyers based in Okemos, Michigan, strive to deliver outstanding legal services that exceed your expectations. We utilize our extensive legal knowledge and the latest in technology to bring you effective and proven solutions to your legal issues.