Some gymnasts tell of sexual abuse. One says her coach would “have an erection which I could feel him pushing repetitively on my hips or back while grunting and sighing”.
Then there was the physical abuse. “When they stretched us, the rules were, you know, if you cried the stretching would last longer and it would be more painful,” says a former gymnast. “I had a grown adult sit [with all of their weight] on my kneecaps while my heels were placed on an object 30-50 cm tall, for minutes at a time on a daily basis.
In launching the report, commissioner Jenkins said: “There is a spotlight on the human rights of athletes around the world and many of the lessons of this review are critical to all sports in Australia. This is an opportunity for gymnastics in Australia to lead the way on child safety and gender equality.”
Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)