Canadian gymnasts demand investigation into 'toxic culture'
More than 70 former and current athletes and about 30 coaches are said to be signatories to an open letter that was published Monday by“For almost a decade, the fear of retribution has prevented us and scores of other athletes from speaking out,” the letter states. “However, we can no longer sit in silence. We are coming forward with our experiences of abuse, neglect, and discrimination in hopes of forcing change.
“What the athletes would like is an independent inquiry into how the sport is delivered, what the coaches are taught, how the coaches are kept accountable, how does the system support athletes,” said Shore. “I love the sport. It just needs to be cleaned up. I’ve seen abuse of many different varieties 30 years ago and with my own daughter today. I did not want her to go into gymnastics. I was very reticent. I wasn’t sure of the state of gymnastics because I had been away from the sport for 20 years. When she begged and pleaded we finally said yes and I regret that decision. I thought I could fix the sport before I got to any kind of high level but I couldn’t.
According to Gymnastics Canada’s website, the organization does not have a Safe Sport director to handle athlete concerns and complaints. “I had a coach that allowed me agency, independence, allowed me to be a part of the decision-making process. I never felt part of an abusive environment.