DPA
Berlin
Record national champion Elisabeth Seitz is the first active German gymnast to call for a reappraisal of abuse allegations at the Stuttgart training centre and for change in the sport.
Seitz on Monday praised several former gymnasts who went public with the allegations over the past days and said that “abuses must be rectified for the future and the people who caused them must be held accountable.”
Ex-gymnasts Tabea Alt and Michelle Timm as well as others had gone public, with world championship medallist Alt speaking of “systematic physical and mental abuse” in Stuttgart, and Timm of “catastrophic conditions” there.
The national federation DTB has announced immediate measures and launched an investigation “on possible misconduct by coaches as well as errors in the high performance sports system at national bases and the handling of possible indications within the association structures of the [Swabian body] STB and DTB.”
It is not normal Seitz said in her Instagram post: “Unfortunately this is not the first time we have heard the statements, accusations and allegations that we have had to read in recent days.I used to think that it was normal. Today I can say: it is not normal.
“Something has to change to finally create a healthy environment for everyone. Because success is only really success if it is achieved in the right way ... Something has to change for the future of German women’s gymnastics!”
Athletes Germany
shocked by allegations
The grouping Athletes Germany said in a statement it was “deeply shocked” by the allegations but that they “should not necessarily come as a surprise to those familiar with gymnastics and the safe sport debate.”
Athletes Germany called for action from the DTB, “also to prevent ongoing misconduct and thus the potential continued suffering of other female athletes.”
In addition, it wants a swift implementation of a Safe Sports Code introduced by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) as a tool against interpersonal violence in sports.
Bui praises courage Athletes Germany and Seitz praised the athletes for their courage to go public, and so did International Olympic Committee athletes commission member Kim Bui, another former German gymnast who retired in 2022.
“To all those who are now opening up: You are not alone. We stand together - with every voice and every experience,” Bui said on Instagram. “And we are doing it for ourselves, for all those who came before us and for those who will come after us. Together, we can make gymnastics a place where respect, appreciation and humanity are paramount. For the most beautiful sport in the world!”
Like several other athletes, Bui has opened up on an eating disorder, and she praised those who have now spoken up.
Fight for change “I am deeply moved and full of respect for the courage of my former companions,” Bui said. “I know from my own experience how difficult it is to find your own voice and speak out against a system that seemed untouchable for so long.”
