British Gymnastics is to conduct an independent review of allegations of abuse and bullying in the sport, the governing body said on Tuesday, after one former leading competitor said that she had been locked in a cupboard, and another said that they were forced to train until their hands bled when they were 10 years old.
UK Sport, the funding body of Olympic sport in England, said that it would also be probing the claims.
It called on other gymnasts to share their concerns and said that it would hold to account anyone responsible.
The agencies’ responses came after one former athlete told ITV Sport that young gymnasts would be shouted and screamed at, and said that she was once hit with a stick when she was doing a handstand.
Another athlete, former Olympian Lisa Mason, said that she had been made to train until her hands bled.
“My coach put me on the bars until my hands ripped and bled. My hands would then be pulled down and surgical spirit would be poured all over them,” Mason said. “I would also have AstroTurf put under the bars so I would burn my feet if I didn’t keep them up, but everyone else is going through it, so you think it’s normal.”
Some gymnasts are afraid to speak out for fear of missing selection for the Tokyo Olympic Games, Mason said.
“The Olympics is next year and we don’t want to rock the boat and upset the people who make those decisions,” she said.
“These allegations relating to the treatment of young athletes within gymnastics are shocking and upsetting,” a UK Sport spokesperson said. “There is absolutely no place for any sort of bullying or abuse in sport, and anyone responsible for such behavior must be held accountable, with support offered to those affected.”
“We treat safeguarding matters with the utmost importance and all our investments into national governing bodies are contingent on a sport meeting standards set out by the Child Protection in Sport Unit,” the spokesperson said.
“The integrity of the high-performance system is paramount, and so we are quickly, but thoroughly working to establish the facts with British Gymnastics before deciding on the appropriate response,” they said.
The British Gymnastics review is to be conducted by Jane Mulcahy QC, who has experience in a number of areas within sports.
“The behaviors we have heard about in recent days are completely contrary to our standards of safe coaching and have no place in our sport,” British Gymnastics chief executive officer Jane Allen said.
“The British Gymnastics Integrity Unit is set up to investigate all allegations when reported or identified by our national network of club and regional Welfare Officers. However, it is clear that gymnasts did not feel they could raise their concerns to British Gymnastics, and it is vital that an independent review helps us better understand why, so we can remove any barriers as quickly as possible,” Allen said.
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