Category: safety

rules for transgender athletes

A number of prominent athletes have been speaking out on this issue of late.

Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe:

“Absolutely, any transgender men or women should be able to access sport – it just depends which category.

“We need to protect female sport but we also need to protect transgender women and their rights.

“For all this to advance fairly to everybody, we have to accept it might take a while, work together and stop attacking the other side.”

Paula Radcliffe says tighter transgender rules are needed to avoid ‘manipulation’

Certainly more research needs be done on this important but rarely problematic issue.

The current level of testosterone allowed by the IOC will drop from 10 nanomoles per litre to five for the 2020 Olympics.

MOSTLY this issue is a talking point for right wing extremists who jump on every opportunity to attack minorities. The rhetoric is similar to their attacks on transgender people using public bathrooms.

related – Transgender Minnesotan powerlifter JayCee Cooper was barred from competing at a state championship due to the International Olympics Committee’s ( IOC ) guidelines.

no smoking at the Tokyo Olympics

A great move. Especially for Japn, a nation that was slow to start restricting smoking.

Organizers on Thursday announced a stringent ban on all tobacco products and vaping devices. Smoking will be banned at all indoor and outdoor Olympic and Paralympic venues, plus within all perimeter areas of the Tokyo Games.

Organizers say the prohibition is tougher than regulations for the last two Summer Olympics in London and Rio de Janeiro. …

Don’t expect to puff away at next year’s Tokyo Olympics

Gymnastics foam pit rescue

Do your Emergency Services know how to deal with a gymnast injured in a foam pit?

Thanks Avril.

new book by gymnast Rachel Haines

Available April 12, 2019.

In Abused: Surviving Sexual Assault and a Toxic Gymnastics Culture, Rachel details her experiences as a competitive gymnast and the painful realities of being one of Nassar’s many victims.

With honesty and candidness, Rachel shares how the sport she loved that gave her so much—friendships, accomplishments, a college education—is also tangled in a dangerously toxic culture that needs to be fixed. In a world that was setting her up for a lifetime of recovery, she tells how faith, family, and an army of survivors made healing possible.

Rachel Haines was a two-time member of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team, a two-time National Champion, and a Division I college gymnast at the University of Minnesota. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in child psychology and a Master’s of Education degree in family social science. Haines lives in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities.

USAG is boycotting the IndyStar

A BIG red flag.

Li Li Leung should be driving over to the newspaper her first day on the job. To apologize. And pledge to work together closely in future.

Ronnie Ramos – Executive Editor IndyStar:

… With your hiring, we hope it will herald a new chapter for USA Gymnastics.

Unfortunately, the way your organization handled the announcement raises concerns we hope will be rectified. As has been the case for the last three years, USA Gymnastics specifically excluded the IndyStar from the initial media call announcing your appointment.

By excluding us, the state’s largest media organization, you excluded the people of Indianapolis.

This is meaningful in that it is indicative of an unwillingness to do what the abuse survivors — and this community — have repeatedly called for: a new path forward focused on positive change. Not a continuation of the secrecy of the past. …

IndyStar editor: An open letter to USA Gymnastics new CEO

FIG Gymnastics Ethics Foundation

The Council of the new Gymnastics Ethics Foundation held its first ever meeting on 19 February in Lausanne. …

As the Foundation’s supreme body, the Council defines its strategy and ensures that it is functioning properly. The following eminent personalities have accepted to become the Council’s first members.

President
Ms Micheline Calmy-Rey, former President of Switzerland

Members
HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
Mr François Carrard, former Director-General of the IOC
Ms Slava Corn, Honorary Vice-President of the FIG
Ms Ivana Hong, former athlete, US gymnastics team

Director of the Foundation
Mr Alexander McLin

The Foundation is made up of three sections: a “Safeguarding” section, including a helpdesk for reporting any case of harassment or abuse; a”Disciplinary” section, which includes the two existing FIG disciplinary bodies, the Disciplinary Commission and the Appeal Tribunal; and a “Compliance” section, to monitor good governance and respect for the ethical principles of the FIG. …

For more information on the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation, please access its website: gymnasticsethicsfoundation.org

FIG

on Gymnastics pain

A detailed discussion on a topic often brushed over by coaches.

Kids know what pain is, but they can’t always discern sore muscle pain from sharp injury pain or torn muscle pain. …

When you hear kids complain of pain, draw their attention to it. Ask them to describe it and maybe even call it a certain color or give it a pain rating. Differentiate kinds of pains early. The better you genuinely know your kids relationship to body pain, the better you’ll be at knowing when something’s not right. …

tricks & twists

3 levels pain

Dave Brubaker acquited

Brubaker, who lost his standing as a national coach since his arrest in December 2017, was found not guilty in a Sarnia, Ontario, courtroom on Wednesday by a judge who questioned the conduct of the investigating police officer, who is reportedly a cousin of the complainant and was in her wedding party. …

Reuters

Via email:

OTTAWA, ON (February 13, 2019) — Gymnastics Canada acknowledges the decision by Justice Deborah Austin today regarding Mr. Dave Brubaker. In light of this verdict, an internal investigation on this matter will now proceed. This investigation will be conducted by Gymnastics Canada in accordance with our Code of Ethics and Conduct and Discipline policies.

Al Fong spotting block system

After many revisions, Al’s got them perfect now.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

details