British Gymnastics coach under investigation over athlete abuse claims

A British Gymnastics licensed coach is being investigated by police in the latest development in the duty of care scandal engulfing Olympic sport.

The Guardian has learnt the coach is part of an investigation by the Metropolitan police, who are assessing whether they have enough evidence to bring criminal charges.

It is not known whether her coaching licence has been suspended by British Gymnastics while the investigation continues but she is no longer believed to work at the club where the alleged incidents took place.

Whistleblowers have alleged British Gymnastics could have intervened in 2012 when concerns were first raised about the methods employed by the coach being investigated, although some of the incidents being looked at by police took place after that time.

The Guardian has seen an email sent by a group of parents anonymously to a former official at British Gymnastics about the same coach in April 2012. The email reads: “There have been numerous accounts of physical abuse with ongoing emotional abuse. As parents we have given her chance after chance to change. We have threatened leaving, we have spoken to head coaches, we have asked her to get help and each time she says things will be different, others are to blame for her behaviour but the pattern continues.

“None of us want any other girls to suffer as ours have done and without BG intervention [the coach] will continue to abuse them. There is another very unhappy child working with her at the moment whose parents are too afraid to do anything. This may seem like a dramatic statement but we have all felt the same way – we know it’s wrong but feel trapped.”

The email alleges: “A few girls have said [the coach] has pushed them off the beam in anger and [one child] has had nightmares about [the coach] pushing her off the beam.”

It also details an alleged incident where one child was vomiting blood during a training session. She was briefly allowed to sit outside but was later made to continue with an exercise. It was claimed that on another occasion a child who suffered from migraines complained of a headache and was told by the coach to “go and overdose on paracetemol if she wanted”.

It is believed an investigation was launched by British Gymnastics after the receipt of that email but the coach was allowed to continue while the inquiry was taking place. She was then cleared to continue working with some of the brightest stars until April this year when the police investigation began.

One parent told the Guardian: “There is a culture of fear within the programme where both athletes and parents are afraid of reprisal if they give evidence against a coach. This fear has hampered both internal and external investigations with key witnesses either afraid to come forward or giving information anonymously, which has then been considered malicious.

“Fear of withdrawal of personal funding and biased selection have been cited as reasons not to give evidence in abuse claims as it is believed British Gymnastics are more interested in protecting their coaches than child athletes. As has been suggested in other sports, results are more important than athlete welfare. Claims of child neglect, physical and emotional abuse have been made to British Gymnastics regarding a female coach over a period of five years, yet it has taken a police investigation to have the coach suspended for more than a couple of weeks.”

It is believed the police are investigating one incident alleged to have involved one young athlete shut inside a cupboard at a gym for over an hour after making a mistake with a routine. Another is believed to relate to body shaming of an athlete under the age of 16.

Another parent with multiple children, all involved in gymnastics clubs, spoke to The Guardian about the culture of gymnastics at grassroots level more generally.

“We started out at a nice local gym but once you move up to a more elite gym it is a quite intimidating, unpleasant environment,” the parent said. “We found the girls were often in tears. Parents would get together at sessions and discuss their experiences at other gyms and the impression I got was that the dominant culture was one of abuse. Lots of blaming, ignoring, name calling and when a child was away, the other children would be told ‘they’re not sick, they’re just malingerers’.”

A British Gymnastics spokeswoman said: “We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of all participants in our sport and our aim is to ensure they have a safe, fun and positive experience. Working alongside our member coaches and clubs, we ensure that safeguarding is prioritised, providing for ethical standards to support the welfare of our members.”

The Met confirmed detectives from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command were investigating and that inquiries continue.

The duty of care crisis in Olympic and Paralympic sport was first illuminated last year when the sprint cyclist Jess Varnish and other riders alleged sexism and disability discrimination at British Cycling. The governing body has since promised large scale reform but other sports are now under pressure to follow suit.

British Swimming is investigating allegations of bullying in their Paralympic performance programme while a senior coach working with Great Britain’s Winter Olympic bobsleigh squad has been accused of racism amid multiple complaints from athletes. The Guardian revealed last month that police were also investigating allegations of child grooming and sexual assault against a former coach at British Canoeing.