Parents’ group defends Gymnastics Australia following claims of abuse against elite juniors
Related Story: Brutal 'punishments' inflicted on elite young gymnasts, parents allege
Gymnastics Australia says it has the support of parents at the National Centre of Excellence in Melbourne, following allegations young gymnasts suffered cruel "punishments" as part of the program.
Key points:
- The centre's parents' group releases a statement saying the centre is a "safe and happy" place for their children
- Statement says the "vast majority" of parents feel complaints have been addressed through an internal investigation
- Gymnastics Australia says it is working with child safety groups to ensure the "best possible" conditions for child gymnasts
Children were forced to do handstands until their arms give out, swing from bars until their hands bled, and that Gymnastics Australia prematurely shut down an investigation into the allegations, some parents told the ABC.
The ABC has spoken to 19 parents across three states about the alleged poor treatment of their children in gymnastics and is looking into more claims by other families.
In a statement, Gymnastics Australia said it takes matters of child safety extremely seriously and it "enjoys strong support among the current parent group of the NCE".
It also released a statement from the NCE Melbourne Parent Body which addressed the allegations.
"The Gymnastics Australia investigation was initially instigated by some concerned parents of athletes based at the National Centre of Excellence Melbourne," the parents' group said.
"The complaints were investigated and completed to the satisfaction of a vast majority of families remaining at NCE Melbourne with the understanding specific details of the results released to the parents were limited due to privacy reasons."
The statement said the parent group had seen positive action taken at the NCE since the investigation was closed in August.
"We acknowledge there were a variety of other issues that emerged around this time with the abruptness of a previous attempt to close the NCE Melbourne program, however we have seen positive steps towards establishing a supportive and open training environment and culture," the statement said.
"NCE Melbourne is a safe and happy environment for the girls to train."
The majority of the gymnasts in the elite program are under 15 and spend between 20 and 33 hours a week training at the gym at Windsor, in Melbourne's south-east.
The ABC spoke to a number of parents who made claims about alleged poor treatment of their children at the centre and former Gymnastics Australia board member George Tatai has accused the governing body of sweeping the issue under the carpet to protect its reputation.
Gymnastics Australia said it will "continue to work with its state and territory bodies and every club nationally to ensure the best possible conditions for all gymnasts in every gym around the country".
GA said it is also working with the Australian Childhood Foundation and child safe advocacy group Bravehearts.
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ABC .net
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