tumbling, tramp, diving, acrobatics, circus, cheer, dance, martial arts, X sports … and more
Two former national team gymnasts, twins Naomi and Ruby van Dijk, were interviewed on their experiences of bullying and mistreatment in the sport.
They say the problems in Germany are wider than previously reported.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Russia will not be able to use its name, flag and anthem at the next two Olympics or at any world championships for the next two years after a ruling Thursday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The Lausanne-based court halved the four-year ban proposed last year by the World Anti-Doping Agency in a landmark case that accused Russia of state-ordered tampering of a testing laboratory database in Moscow. The ruling also blocked Russia from bidding to host major sporting events for two years.
Russian athletes and teams will still be allowed to compete at next year’s Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, as well as world championships …
When we first heard in April 2020 Haney‘s suspension was 8 years, I was surprised. Obviously USAG had strong evidence.
She failed “to provide a safe, positive and healthy environment with a culture of trust and empowerment.”
I’d not heard her respond until a recent NY Times interview.
The gymternet reaction was critical. Some called the article a fluff piece, not an interview. Some felt it was just part of a coordinated PR campaign to reinvent her reputation.
NY Times reporter Juliet Macur is well credentialed, by the way. And an athlete. Captain of the Columbia University rowing team.
NEXT we learned an arbitrator reduced the USA Gymnastics suspension for physical, verbal and emotional abuse from eight to five years.
Haney has also been named in a series of civil lawsuits filed in New Jersey by the families of former MG Elite gymnasts who allege they were physically, verbally and emotionally abused, body shamed and pressured to compete and train while injured by the coach. …
OCR
The Skating Lesson interviewed more than a dozen gymnasts, parents and family members who have trained under Maggie Haney and Vicky Levine at MG Elite.
Listen to those interviews here.
The Dutch Federation removed coaches Frank Louter and Patrick Kiens from their National Team responsibilities. Both can coach at their clubs.
Kiens can continue to coach Eythora Thorsdottir and Kirsten Polderman. Louter can continue to coach Sara van Disseldorp and Laura de Witt.
This was unrelated to the ongoing disciplinary investigation.
Vincent Wevers and Nico Zijp stay on with National Team.
Details on Nos Sport. (Dutch)
As we celebrate Human Rights Day and reflect upon the significance of empowerment and advocacy, we are proud to introduce the USA Gymnastics Athlete Bill of Rights.
All athletes have the right to:
* Participate in gymnastics
* Train and compete safely
* Have their personal health and wellness prioritized
* Be treated with dignity and respect
* Receive proper instruction
* Provide input on matters that directly affect them
* Voice opinions on issues that affect the gymnastics community
* Expect integrity and transparency
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Oleg. Oleg.
Always interesting. Always entertaining.
He’s not competing Europeans* this week, but we do have this.
Goals… Well, as you can see my cycle was not an easy one.
In 2018, I went through two surgeries. In 2019, two surgeries.
I didn’t manage to fully recover so the postponement of the Olympic Games is probably more good news than sad news for me. …
I want to return to the all-around leaders race. …
… there will not just be Dalaloyan and Nagornyy [to compete with]. I think there will be Xiao Ruoteng and Sam Mikulak. This is just from the current guys …
OC: It’s a tough question to ask, but looking from the outside in. What are your thoughts on the abuse situations that have been reported in gymnastics in the United States and Great Britain? What do you feel for athletes who spoke up about this topic and revealed what happened to them?
I find violence inadmissible. When someone yells at you that you are a fool, that you are bad and you get a cuff on the nape or beaten up – it’s wrong and I’m against it. I believe that such coaches should be kicked out or punished. …
I was incredibly lucky with my first coach – Olga Ermakova. She’s in Australia now coaching. …
While some schools are moving mountains to get in football and basketball seasons, non-revenue generating sports are on the chopping block. …
Some colleges are testing every player and coach for the virus every day and even that hasn’t stopped outbreaks; many games have had to be canceled or rescheduled. But still, they press on.
They do it, of course, to keep the TV money coming in from football and basketball. But at the same time, dozens of universities have been eliminating smaller “secondary” sports like gymnastics and tennis and swimming. …
Mike Burns: I think every athletic director who’s dropping programs is using the COVID pandemic as an excuse …
Shane Wiskus: NCAA Gymnastics I believe is a crucial component in preparing gymnasts for, you know, not only success for their team, but success for the United States on the world and Olympic podiums. …
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
Skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing and breaking were confirmed as additional sports proposed by the Paris 2024 Organising Committee. …
Olympic.org
Finally. An equal number of Olympic male and female competitors.
Dec 9-13, Turkey
Of course the 2020 edition will always have an asterix* as the field is much smaller than usual. Many of the top nations, including Russia, are not attending due to COVID.
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
If you are not a subscriber, there’s a copy on The Morning Call:
If she could travel back in time, before she was suspended from gymnastics after being accused of berating and mistreating her athletes, including an Olympic champion, Maggie Haney says she would change the way she coached. …
… “Maybe what used to be OK is not OK anymore, and maybe it shouldn’t be. I think maybe the culture has shifted.” …
Haney said the accusations against her — particularly those from Hernandez, whom she coached from age 6 — had come out of nowhere, and she vehemently denied them. …
Riley McCusker, who has a good chance of making the U.S. team for the Tokyo Games, filed a lawsuit against Haney last month. …
A gymnastics coach accused of emotional abuse speaks out: ‘I cared too much’
Aside from Maggie’s friends and some former gymnasts, most coaches I talk to feel the penalties decided by USAG were harsh but appropriate.
Spencer had the most entertaining reaction to the interview.
Read Stephanie Ventura’s response – An Open Letter to the New York Times Regarding Gymnastics, Abuse, and Sub-standard Journalism
Gymnastics Coaching.com 