London, Aug. 18, (PA Media/dpa/GNA) – British Gymnastics chairman Mike Darcey says the organization « must do better » to ensure there is no further abuse in the sport and is « deeply sorry » for letting the gymnastics community down.
The governing body is the subject of a legal claim raised by 37 former gymnasts, including three Olympians, who say they were victims of alleged systemic physical and psychological abuse.
British Gymnastics has already responded by appointing Sarah Powell as its new chief executive, with other changes coming to the board in the coming months.
Darcey says the organization, which is complying with an official review into its conduct, has let people down and that abuse is « not acceptable ».
He said in a statement: « As we reflect on some great moments from the Olympic Games in Tokyo, we also need to acknowledge that, alongside gymnastics growing rapidly over the last decade, our organization has, on several fronts, failed to keep up with that growth.
« The board has taken stock over recent months. It is evident that the
executive team and the board have failed to be close enough to the gymnastics community to understand your concerns, and our engagement with those raising concerns has not been good enough.
« We have let you down, and we are deeply sorry for that. »
« While we acknowledge that there is much good practice within the sport in the UK, we must make it clear to the whole membership that abusive practices including training on injuries, bullying, shouting, and weight shaming are not acceptable. »
USA Gymnastics was previously rocked by a major sexual abuse scandal
