By: Audrey Xie

For many years now, young gymnasts have been treated terribly by British gymnastics programs in the UK.

The gymnasts, who were mainly under the age of 12, were forced to practice even if they had an injury, and even had to face harsh punishments for just needing to use the bathroom. If they did something slightly wrong, they would be shouted at and sworn at.

They were restricted to do an extreme number of things by the gymnasium, and the gymnasium even controlled what they could and could not eat.

Sarah Powell, the boss of British Gymnastics, says, “I want to wholeheartedly apologize to the gymnasts who have suffered as a result of us not working to the standards we set ourselves. We are sorry… We will change gymnastics for the better.”

Many thoughts of how they treated their students as child abuse, and they complained that it affected the health (both mental and physical) of the young gymnasts badly.

“The review marked an important day for the future of the sport, but a lot still needs to be worked on.”, says Becky Downie, Team GB Gymnast.

In the report, Jane Allen, the former boss of British Gymnastics, received many hateful comments. She was talked about failing to look after British Gymnastics and having a lack of leadership.

Article link: British gymnastics ‘must do more’ to keep children safe – CBBC Newsround.pdf