Report suggests cruel 'punishments' inflicted on child gymnasts at National Centre of Excellence

A report by the ABC has advised of parental allegations over brutal "punishments" being inflicted on elite young gymnasts in Melbourne, advising of instances where children have been forced to do handstands until their arms give out and swing from bars until their hands bleed.

The report also suggests that a Gymnastics Australia (GA) investigation into parental allegations has been prematurely shut down while also advising of accusations by that former GA board member George Tatai that the issue has been ignored by the sporting body to protect its reputation instead of its young athletes.

The investigation was sparked by complaints from athletes' parents, who alleged that children as young as eight were regularly verbally and physically abused at the sport's National Centre of Excellence (NCE) in Melbourne.

The ABC reported of one parent stating “punishments would involve making them swing on the bar until their hands bled, doing squats until their knees gave out, or making them do handstands and stay upside down until they felt sick and fell over.

"Punishments are given when you have not performed, when you may have been perceived to being a bit cheeky or didn't pay attention, any misdemeanour."

The ABC has spoken to four parents who all raised similar allegations while others confirmed they had similar concerns, but declined to be interviewed.

These parents were among 16 parents who told the ABC about the alleged poor treatment of their children in gymnastics, advising that their children were often belittled and harassed.

The majority of the gymnasts in the elite program are under 15 and spend between 20 and 33 hours a week training at the gym at Windsor, in Melbourne's south-east.

The ABC report advised that training sessions are also closed to parents - meaning they weren't allowed to be present for some of their children's massages and medical appointments, which often occurred during training.

Parents also spoke of their fear of making complaints because they had seen other children treated badly when their parents raised concerns.

One parent told the ABC "we are all terrified because our daughters will be made to suffer.

"They come home and say, 'Mum, please don't complain' - because they know when they go back to training they're going to get a hard time.

"They know that they're not going to be selected for a state or national team."

Parents were questioned by a member protection information officer (MPIO) earlier this year, who was employed to listen to parents' complaints.

That led to GA's appointment of an independent investigator in May, to look into the gym's culture and management.

One parent advised “we were told pretty clearly in our dealings with the MPIO that there were distinct breaches in procedures and policy in the way kids were supposed to be treated.”

The report suggests that soon after receiving an interim report from the independent investigator, Gymnastics Australia Chief Executive Kitty Chiller told parents in August that the investigation would not go any further.

Chiller’s statement to parents advised “the majority of allegations listed in the interim report were found to be ‘incomplete’.

“Based on the investigator's interim report, GA did not find that any staff member was in breach of their employment with GA.”

Parents were surprised that the investigation was ended so abruptly.

"There's no other explanation for it," they said.

"It is utterly disappointing that GA lack the will to follow through with what could have been an initially painful experience for them, but an opportunity to make things better going forward. Instead they just dismissed everybody's hurt."

The ABC contacted Chiller with specific questions about the allegations and the investigation.

She responded with a short statement which said GA took the issue of child safety "extremely seriously", adding “wWe are working very hard with our state and territory colleagues and clubs to ensure we provide a safe environment for all of our participants.”

Chiller also advised that it would provide a more detailed written response this week.

Tatai, who spent 21 years on the GA board, said the investigation merely paid lip-service to parents' concerns.

He told the ABC "it was basically swept under the carpet and was basically, to me, saying, 'Well, we've got a few disgruntled parents out there and we're not going to really listen to what they've got to say'.

"The investigation at least should have said if it didn't find anything.

"If it was inconclusive, at least come back and make a statement to the parents - 'Yes, we've listened to you, we can't prove it, but we have taken these steps and we've spoken to people involved'."

Tatai, who was also a member of the International Gymnastics Federation for eight years, said GA had lost sight of who it represented, adding “it seems to have morphed into an organisation that is protecting the organisation ahead of the interest of the athletes and the community.”

Image used for illustrative purposes only.