[ad_1]
Villa Zurlinden, owned by the Swiss Gymnastics Federation (STV), is beautiful. Anyone walking into the 19th century building will not notice the stormy times currently prevailing at the STV. Eight top-tier former gymnasts in the sports of rhythmic gymnastics and artistic gymnastics have dared to go public, describing how they were humiliated and plunged into depression. Erwin Grossenbacher, STV Central President, welcomes us for an interview.
We were very touched by the descriptions of the athletes. They too?
Erwin Grossenbacher: Yes, I was very moved to read it. But is nothing new. The gymnasts’ accusations had been known for a long time and discussions had already taken place. That is why we have launched an independent investigation that examines the entire context of rhythmic gymnastics. And the newly elected ethics committee begins immediately instead of January 1 and examines the allegations of the two gymnasts.
If you say that the athletes’ statements are not new, it seems even more tragic.
Our big mistake was that we never came to terms with the situation. In 2007 we had the case of the national gymnastics coach Eric Demay. He was fired. In 2013 we did the same with rhythmic gymnastics coaches Heike Netzschitz and Vesela Dimitrova. We thought the layoffs would solve the problems. I thought very little of girls.
Eric Demay (left) was fired in 2007. Here with Ariella Kaeslin, one of the athletes who expressed criticism.
© Petra Eggenberger / Keystone (Aarhus, October 19, 2006)
The athletes were not listened to or given the opportunity to express themselves adequately. How do you want to change this?
We will create new platforms, such as roundtables, and invite existing and active female athletes. They should be able to tell their personal experiences and also be able to express criticism openly.
We’re not just talking about problems with the coaches, but about the whole system. Among other things, there is a lack of contact persons due to psychological aspects.
Reports that speak of a system bother me a bit. It is certainly not our intention for athletes to be treated like this. I’m very sorry that the girls had to suffer. We see that we have more to do here than in the past.
If the athletes were treated badly and then passed it on as coaches, it becomes a vicious cycle. How do you plan to break this?
The cultural change you mention is important to us. Rhythmic gymnastics in particular is much more important in the eastern states than it is here. Since the market for coaches in Switzerland is not very good, coaches have been recruited from abroad. Now we prefer to focus on trainers with a similar culture. The fact that Swiss women are taking care of the national team on an interim basis is a good sign. I think the best sport is walking a tightrope. It takes diligence and hard work. What it takes for athletes to get to this level is enormous.
One athlete said she only ate half yogurt at night for fear of gaining weight. Apparently there was no advice.
I can’t even imagine that maximum sports performance is possible with half yogurt.
Still it happened.
Weight is not just a problem for us. It is similar in ski jumping, weight sports such as martial arts or rowing. But that shouldn’t be an excuse. We have to offer more support.
There is hardly any sport that is such an intensive training so early. Is there even one way that is ethically justifiable?
I am convinced that this can be achieved. Internationally, we have to lower our goals. If you want to become an Olympic or world champion, you must orient yourself towards the best in terms of training methods. This is not what we want to target in rhythmic gymnastics with our ethical ideas. So you may have to say from the association that 15th place is fine and it doesn’t have to be 6th place.
Is this a promise to athletes and parents: health is more important than success?
Yes, health is more important than success. But I don’t want to anticipate any results of the investigation.
If athletes want to be successful, they must go to Magglingen. Young talents are ripped from their personal environment. Should we rethink the choice of decentralized solutions?
It’s certainly a must-have discussion. I can imagine decentralized solutions. It is not a big problem with the boys because they are between 17 and 18 when they come to Magglingen. Girls are usually only 14 or 15 years old. That brings challenges.
Current national gymnastics coach Fabien Martin said he was in a bad temper when he was under pressure to succeed. In your opinion, is he more of a victim than a perpetrator?
We discussed an incident with Martin this summer and received conflicting statements. So we want this to be well researched. When the contract was extended until 2024, we noted that great importance is attached to ethics. Athletes’ contracts will also be adjusted. Surely never again will be in the contracts where attention should be paid to weight.
The current national gymnastics coach Fabien Martin.
© Keystone
Fabien Martin symbolizes a time when much suffering was caused. Can you hold on to it?
We have had very good experiences with Martin for the last 15 years. In Magglingen, many cannot understand the accusations. Thanks to research, we would like to know what is correct. Fabien Martin is definitely not a monster.
Without prejudice: Couldn’t the association cut back and replace the people who defend that moment?
We want to wait for the investigation before making a decision. We can’t fire all good people.
Competitive sports director Felix Stingelin had to go. Why was he already taken there?
The decision to end the cooperation was made amicably and before the latest accusations emerged.
Much of what you are saying now after this case seems plausible. In his seven years as president, however, he has not changed these points. Why?
It probably needed a wake-up call. The situation has not been sufficiently questioned. But we have realized that we have to do more. Needs a review.
How much does it hurt that you can initiate the cultural change in artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, but no longer help shape it?
It hurts to realize that we have not adequately identified the problems of elite sport. Unfortunately, we have not done enough work on culture change. I hope that my successor, Fabio Corti, can be a reformer.
The STV receives 1.7 million Swiss francs annually from Swiss Olympic. Ranking is based on success, which puts pressure on associations. Is that correct?
In rhythmic gymnastics, therefore, we were rated by Swiss Olympic. From my point of view, the distributor would have to be less success oriented. We would also like to apply this to Federal Counsel Viola Amherd.
Federal Councilor Amherd weighed in and said it should be considered whether such incidents should be punished.
Viola Amherd rightly cares about sport and that’s why we meet to chat. I think we are not the only sport that has to deal with problems like this.
