British Gymnastics: Chairman 'deeply sorry' for athlete abuse

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Darcey has said the organisation 'clearly needs to be better connected with the views of the membership'

British Gymnastics chairman Mike Darcey has apologised to the gymnastics community for failing to act on allegations of mistreatment within the sport.

The governing body was criticised in 2020 after a number of ex-gymnasts say they trained under a "culture of fear".

"We must do better to ensure there is no place for abuse in our sport," he wrote in an open letter on Wednesday.

"We have let you down, and we are deeply sorry for that."

"We must make it clear to the whole membership that abusive practices including training on injuries, bullying, shouting, and weight-shaming are not acceptable," he added.

"Our engagement with those raising concerns has not been good enough."

An independent review into allegations began last year but Darcey said changes will be made before the Whyte Review has been published.

"We are determined and committed to change within British Gymnastics and it is not necessary to wait," he added.

Among the changes, Darcey announced there would be fresh appointments made on the executive board, with the new members having a focus on "safeguarding and integrity, the athlete voice and to bring broader representation from the gymnastics community".

The new members will sit alongside the recently appointed chief executive Sarah Powell.

The former Sport Wales CEO replaced the then chief executive Jane Allen when she retired in 2020 after a decade in charge.

A number of former elite gymnasts, including Olympians Becky and Ellie Downie, Nile Wilson, Ruby Harrold and Amy Tinkler, raised concerns about the treatment and wellbeing of athletes within the British Gymnastics set-up.

The organisation is the subject of a legal claim raised by 37 former athletes who say they were victims of alleged systemic physical and psychological abuse.

Changes and recruitment at the top

Darcey said there will be new appointments in the organisation's safeguarding team, which has had to double in size to deal with the high volume of cases.

He added their work has been "reshaped into three teams, each with a regional responsibility and specific focus on historic, current and complex cases."

They will also be hiring a national welfare officer "to provide better liaison between British Gymnastics and those raising complaints".

In addition to this, there will be a new pathway for athletes and parents to provide feedback.

Darcey's letter concluded by saying the executive team are "committed to fundamentally changing the culture at the heart of British Gymnastics" and acknowledged the anger felt by many within the sport.

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