Thread by @TMayglothling

🧵Today the #Whytereview was published. In 2020 Anna Whyte was commissioned to review the the role of athlete well-being and welfare within British Gymnastics (BG)
This followed highly publicised abuse of Olympic Gymnasts highlighted in Netflix documentary "Athlete A" and beyond.

The Whyte Review can be found here:
whytereview.org
It makes for harrowing reading so please beware of this.
It is over 300 pages, and details 400 submissions in response to a Call for Evidence. The scope of the review is from August 2008 - 2020 inclusive.

Of reported abuse:
67% spoke of emotional abuse
49% of physical abuse
9% of sexual abuse - this is 30 submissions.
25% of abusive behaviour was excessive weight management.
Whyte found a "Coach-led Culture" with athletes seen as a commodity and their welfare not priority.

The overwhelming feedback from the review is that the abuse was systematic, at all performance levels and athlete ages.
As of Sept '21 there are 327 open complaints and over 3500 closed complaints.
Whyte reviewed 5% of the total BG files for the review (p41)

Only one person from BG didn't agree to meet for the review: former High Performance Coach Development Manager - Martin Reddin despite having high profile roles between August 2008 - 2020 (p42).

Recommendations of the review include the creation of an Ombudsman (p47) with @Tanni_GT work in the 2017 Duty of Care review specifically mentioned.
This can be found here: gov.uk/government/pub…
Five years on - no progress.

"One wonders how many sporting scandals it will take before government of the day appreciates it needs to take more action to protect children who participate in sport, a sector where coaches do not have a central regulator and where most complaints lack independent resolution"

Also recommended from the review by Baroness Grey-Thompson in the Whyte Review is an introduction to a coaching license scheme (p48).
"No-one currently accepts formal responsibility for regulating sports coaches" (p14)
Five years on - no progress.

Increasing the age of competing athletes is considered, as has been done recently in Figure Skating by the FIG. However, the emotional/physical/sexual abuse, gas lighting, over training and excessive weight management are well versed: in 2020 over 78% of BG members are under 12

It should be noted that at multiple times during the review, Whyte mentions the work being done by BG to improve previously failing mechanisms.
The review suggests 12 - 24 month benchmarks for recommendations to be in place.
To the leaders - I wish you well and remain hopeful.