British Gymnastics outlaws weighing of young athletes in new rules, says report
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British Gymnastics has outlawed the weighing of young athletes under new rules.
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LONDON – Coaches will no longer be permitted to weigh young athletes under new British Gymnastics rules aimed to end practices the federation says are “on the fringes of abuse”, according to a BBC report.
The new safeguarding rules to which gyms must adhere to or face sanctions come after the damning 2022 Whyte Review uncovered a culture of abuse in the sport.
No gymnasts aged 10 or under can be weighed, under British Gymnastics' new rules, and athletes between 11 and 18 can be weighed only if there is consent from both the gymnast and a parent or guardian.
Only sports science or medical practitioners are permitted to do the weighing, and must have scientifically valid rationale in doing so, such as monitoring a growth spurt.
“This is about making sure that within gymnastics, we actually don’t see them as gymnasts, we see them as young people, we see them as children,” British Gymnastics chief executive Sarah Powell told the BBC.
“There is no desire for us to put medals above welfare.”
The Whyte Review, which was commissioned by UK Sport and Sport England, received more than 400 submissions.
It found that athletes were subjected to widespread physical and mental abuse in a system where such behaviour was condoned in the pursuit of national and international success.
Gymnast Eloise Jotischky told the BBC that “weighing was used as a punishment”.
In June 2022, Jotischky became the first and only gymnast to win a civil case against British Gymnastics for the abuse she experienced between 2016 and 2018 from coach Andrew Griffiths, who is now banned from coaching.
Among the British Gymnastics’ new rules, a hydration regulation states that preventing an athlete from drinking water or going to the toilet is “physical abuse”.
And children under the age of 12 can no longer be taken out of school to train, while those over 12 can miss school only in “exceptional circumstances”.
British Gymnastics’ previous safeguarding interventions had not been mandatory.
In Singapore, national sports association Singapore Gymnastics had in 2021 implemented similar guidelines with the objective of helping gymnasts, their families, coaches and staff better understand the subject of body image and how it affects individuals.
The guidelines stipulate that monitoring or tracking of a gymnast’s body, including weight, height, skinfolds or physique assessments, should only be conducted by an experienced and certified anthropometrist, after education has been provided and written consent from athletes and a parent or guardian has been obtained.
The association also does not support the practice of coaches and support staff weighing athletes. REUTERS
