“Whilst Louis Smith has appeared in brochures for us in the past we have no current relationship with him and have no plans to do so in the future,” the company said.
Category: ethics
protecting gymnasts from predators
Protecting Gymnasts From Predators – Part 1
Protecting Gymnasts From Predators – Part 2
Darkness to Light has a great educational resource called “The 5 Steps to Protecting Our Children”;
Step 1: Learn The Facts: Realities, Not Trust, Should Influence Your Decisions Regarding Children
Step 2: Minimize Opportunity: If you eliminate or reduce isolated, one-on-one situations between children and adults, and children and other youth, you’ll dramatically reduce the risk of sexual abuse.
Step 3: Talk About It: Children often keep abuse a secret, but barriers can be broken down by (parents) talking openly about our bodies, sex, and boundaries.
Step 4: Recognize The Signs: Don’t expect obvious signs when a child is being sexually abused. Signs are often there, but you have to know what to look for.
Step 5: React Responsibly: DISCLOSURE of sexual abuse means a child has chosen you as the person he or she trusts enough to tell. It is the moment when children learn whether others can be trusted to stand up for them.
Protecting Gymnasts From Predators – Part 3
One more point. Clubs should not discourage parents from watching practice. The more transparency the better.
Our competitive gymnasts are amongst the best protected children. But we could do even better.
On a related topic Nicole Bard has advice for parents in a post titled …
What To Look For In A Good Gym: Abuse Series Part 1
1. Open Floor Plan
2. Cameras
3. Proper Conduct Training and Policies
Louis Smith, Luke Carson apologize
Louis Smith accused of ‘mocking’ Islam.
Here’s his apology.
Luke apologized as well but his twitter account is private so I can’t link here.
Personally I’m fed up with Louis. 😦
British Gymnastics does not condone the mocking of any faith or religion and is appalled by such behaviours. Gymnastics is an inclusive sport and we are proud of members who portray the inclusive values of British Gymnastics. Members who break our code of conduct can face suspension or expulsion from our organisation. We will be investigating the behaviours reported.
U.S. Olympic prize money
Olympic athletes who bring home the gold, silver and bronze for Team USA will no longer pay a “victory tax” for their achievement under a bill that President Barack Obama signed into law Friday.
The IRS will now be prohibited from taxing most medals or other prizes awarded to U.S. Olympians.
The U.S. Olympic Committee awards cash prizes to medalists, ranging from $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. The cash prize comes on top of the value of the medals themselves: $600 for gold and $300 for silver; bronze medals aren’t worth much. …
But not all Team USA medalists will be exempt. The tax will still apply to high-profile athletes who earn at least $1 million a year, such as swimmer Michael Phelps.
via GymCastic
Heaven Latimer’s mother died
Financial need.
It is with much sadness we share that on September 18th, 2016, with Heaven and her siblings by her side, Heaven’s mother Sharon lost her very long battle with cancer.
Those who know Heaven understand what a close relationship she had with her mother. Sharon was a single parent and her passing has left Heaven in a position where she has to take care of herself at the young age of 18. …
Click PLAY or watch her 2013 Beam on YouTube. (layout 1/1)
Rio Paralympics successful
Once again, congratulations Rio. Congratulations Brazil.
ANYONE who tuned into the 2016 Paralympic games, which were held in Rio de Janeiro in the fortnight leading up to September 18th, would agree that this year’s edition has been a success. In the days before the opening ceremony, it seemed more likely that the event would be a flop. …
Yet out of adversity came triumph. A last-ditch appeal to the Brazilian public worked. They flocked to the venues, snapped up cheap tickets (some for as little as ten reals, or $3) and turned the games into the second-most attended in Paralympic history. Total sales surpassed 2m last week, topping the 1.5m sold in Beijing in 2008; the final number could rival the 2.8m record set in London four years ago. Nearly 170,000 spectators thronged to the Olympic Park on September 10th, a greater crowd than at any point during the Olympics. …
As the fortnight ended, perhaps the only obvious blemish was the death of 48-year-old Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad, who suffered a cardiac arrest in the road race on September 17th. …
The Rio Paralympics were successful, but the disability classifications are not
There were problems too, obviously. Click through for a breakdown of those.
16 more women accuse Larry Nassar
… the women’s allegations of sexual abuse span nearly two decades — from 1996 through 2014. Their ages ranged from 13 to 20 when the alleged abuse began. Some continued to see Nassar for treatment for years. …
All five women interviewed by IndyStar said they wondered about the treatment they received from Nassar, but they initially deferred to his reputation and expertise in the field of sports medicine.
“He was like this hero in … sports medicine, especially for gymnastics, because the injuries and type of stress you’re putting on your body are so different than any other sport,” Katherine said. “A trainer and doctor for the U.S. Olympic team accessible in Michigan; it was like, everyone thought it was amazing.” …
The IndyStar USA Gymnastics investigation
Riley Beggin summarizes the story to date.
IndyStar filed records requests in 10 states and reviewed thousands of pages of documents over the course of four and a half months. Their reporting found that USAG, which is headquartered in Indianapolis, has private sexual misconduct files on 54 coaches spanning 10 years. But unless the allegations came to officials directly from the victim or the victim’s parent, the organization wouldn’t take any measures to intervene. …
Indiana law doesn’t require firsthand information to report suspected abuse. It only requires that the reporter has “reason to believe” abuse has occurred. Legal experts told IndyStar that it’s clear USA Gymnastics’ policy violates state law. …
on athletes protesting
Coming from Canada I’m always surprised how seriously angered some Americans get when they feel either flag or National Anthem are disrespected.
The issue of Gabby Douglas not putting hand over heart at the Olympics was blown way out of proportion, for example. Clearly she intended no disrespect.
A hot topic in American news is Colin Kaepernick’s protest against racial injustice. More sportsmen are supporting him each week.
For example, Garfield High School football players and coaching staff took a knee during the national anthem. The entire team. And plan to do so for the rest of the season.
A recent survey found Kaepernick was the most disliked player in the NFL – “disliked a lot” by 29% of those polled. I assume he’s also one of the most admired players today. His protest has been divisive in a divided nation.
Sport – normally – is one topic that tends to bring fans together.
On the one hand, I too admire Kaepernick’s guts. And feel he’s correct in calling out racial injustice. His protest is non-violent. Gandhi would approve.
On the other hand I wish there was some way to keep it off the field of play. It is a distraction from the Game.
Whether we like it or not, this protest is going to continue. Americans, too, deeply respect their First Amendment – freedom of speech.
Best case scenario this kind of protest brings real change. I’ll try to stay optimistic.
Gymnastics in India is a mess
Journalist Arunabh Saskia tries to explain the disaster that has been the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Inside the murky world of Indian gymnastics
Dipa Karmakar’s stellar show at the Olympics owed nothing to the sport’s governing body, which has done everything in its power to nip any development in the bud
Obviously there is tremendous talent in the subcontinent. It’s a shame the sports administration has been so dreadful. 😦
related – Dipa feels it’s dedication that’s lacking more than facilities.
via GymCastic
Gymnastics Coaching.com 