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Hit the gymnastics association! Following new allegations of abuse against several STV coaches, top sporting boss Felix Stingelin takes his hat off.
The Basel bidder has been suspended since BLICK made public allegations of torture by rhythmic gymnasts that cost national team coach Iliana Dineva her job. The weekend got even worse. In the “Magazin” of the Tamedia newspapers, other gymnasts described serious cases.
So now Stingelin’s departure. The association announced in a brief statement late Wednesday that the contract was “terminated by mutual agreement” last week on October 31. The bosses are silent on the details. “We would like to thank Felix Stingelin for his great commitment and tireless efforts and wish him all the best for the future,” said STV Central President Erwin Grossenbacher.
The question of why the exit is only made public on Wednesday remains unanswered when asked. Curious: on Tuesday, the association verbatim announced that the allegations against gymnastics coach Fabien Martin would be investigated by the newly formed ethics committee. Does that Martin boss have to go? Not a word was said about it.
STV tip has to trot in Amherd
Meanwhile, the matter has reached the highest political level. Sports Minister Viola Amherd (58) announced on “NZZ” that she would be involved. “Ms. Amherd was shocked,” a VBS spokesperson told BLICK of the new revelations over the weekend. “This type of behavior on the part of the trainers is unacceptable and intolerable. Athletes are the weakest link in world-class, competitive sport and must be well protected, ”says Amherd, head of VBS.
The consequence: on Tuesday, the top of STV had to jog together with the heads of the Swiss Olympic umbrella organization in Bern. CVP Ms Amherd: “We are examining what sanction options are appropriate to prevent such incidents and what new instruments, such as early warning systems or independent reporting points, should be created.”
This is to prevent cases like those said to have happened with the women’s national coach Fabien Martin. “Fabien had different strategies to prepare us,” former gymnast Lynn Genhart told the “magazine.” As for your eating habits, for example. The Frenchman also told her that she “was incompetent as a person, I was stupid,” said the junior European runner-up in the 2014 All-Around. “They told me, always in front of others: how I feel who I am to be one of the best gymnasts? … I no longer have the feeling that he won the silver medal at the European Championship in Bern. I think today was lucky because everyone around me fell. “
“Stop it or not?”
Genhart became depressed and had suicidal thoughts. “One night I was sitting in my room in Magglingen and I thought: stop or not? I cried, I just sat there. In the middle of the night my daddy came looking for me. We went to the ambulance. The diagnosis: acute depression. I had suicidal thoughts. For a while, my parents had to accompany me everywhere, because they were afraid that otherwise I would not come home. “
Shocking accusations that will now be investigated by the newly created ethics committee of the STV. The association emphasizes that it has had “positive experiences” with Coach Martin for the past 15 years.
Martin also commented on the allegations for the first time in an STV message. “Personally and in general, I have a different memory of training and collaborating with the two athletes,” he says. “I assure the independent ethics committee of my full cooperation.”
