“After two years of awaiting publication of the Whyte report on mistreatment of athletes within the sport of gymnastics, the experience of brave gymnasts who responded to the call for evidence makes for distressing reading. A culture of silencing participants clearly created an environment conducive to sustained abuse placing gymnasts at huge risk in what should have been a place of expression and development. The AoCPP sincerely hopes that the change identified as occurring within British Gymnastics under the leadership of Sarah Powell as Chief Executive continues under the promise that BG ‘will not shy away from doing what is needed’.
The AoCPP’s Safeguarding in Sport Special Interest Group has now been launched and offers a professional space for those in Sport Leadership and Sport Safeguarding, as well as those within sports-based academia and research, to come together to debate reports such as these, to formulate collective responses and to explore research and practice together.”