The chair of British Gymnastics has referred to as on the federal government to ascertain an independent welfare physique to guard athletes throughout all sports activities – and to make sure governing our bodies not face vital prices coping with safeguarding circumstances.
In a notable intervention, Mike Darcey mentioned that whereas the advantages of taking part in sport had been clear, the variety of abuse allegations throughout a number of sports activities lately – together with British Cycling, British Swimming, British Bobsleigh and British Athletics – confirmed the present system usually left complainants sad and in limbo whereas they waited for justice.
“It’s time we bit the bullet,” Darcey advised the Guardian. “It’s time for the government to accept that it is time for action. We need, as a nation, to show that we care as much about athlete welfare as we do about the medal table.”
Darcey mentioned he envisioned the brand new physique as being like UK Anti-Doping – which might not solely embody investigators, safeguarding specialists and adjudicators but additionally be certain that greatest secure sport follow was promoted throughout British sport.
“Such a body would also have clear economies of scale,” he mentioned. “Instead of asking 40 different Olympic sports to run their own systems we could have one centralised body as a centre of excellence. We would also take the conflict of interest out of the system, and everybody would rightly have much more confidence in the outcome.”
Darcey mentioned that despite the fact that British Gymnastics was now spending greater than £1m a yr on welfare and safeguarding within the wake of the Whyte Review – which discovered horrifying circumstances of bullying, abuse and discrimination – it was nonetheless struggling to cope with all of the 1,326 considerations raised with its welfare and secure sport group since July 2020.
“It’s hard because we have a very substantial backlog, and complaints are running at an elevated level because there’s much greater awareness and willingness to speak out, which is good,” he mentioned. “But I look at how much progress we’re making, and I still think the athletes and everybody involved deserves better than I think we can possibly do.”
Darcey mentioned that as issues stood there have been a minimum of three issues improper with the present strategy. First, British Gymnastics was “ill‑equipped to handle these sorts of cases” because it didn’t have the experience or assets to run a large-scale semi-judicial course of. Second, complainants usually needed to wait too lengthy for justice. And third, as British Gymnastics is an investigator, choose and jury, one aspect or the opposite usually thought it should be biased.
“Even if we had far more resources, I’m not sure we could ever escape from the fact that as a national governing body we sit in the middle, make the rules, and we’re investigator, judge and jury,” he mentioned. “I think that’s a pretty invidious place for any NGB to find themselves.”
British Gymnastics shouldn’t be the one physique to face mounting safeguarding prices. Last yr British Athletics spent £600,000 on such circumstances and is combating off chapter. “Sports can get themselves into a tricky position where they either spend so much money on this that you put the financial wellbeing of the NGB in jeopardy, or you have to cut back on other areas,” Darcey mentioned. “So it’s a series of unhappy choices, none of which are great.”
This shouldn’t be the primary time such an independent physique has been referred to as for, with a broadly praised report by Tanni Grey-Thompson in 2017 making an identical advice. However, as Darcey identified, little has occurred since then. “But we want young athletes and parents to have confidence that the sports that they’re sending their kids off to participate in are safe places, and that if something goes wrong it will be dealt with appropriately,” he mentioned.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport didn’t immediately touch upon Darcey’s calls. But in an announcement it mentioned it remained “committed to ensuring sport is as safe as possible for everyone, and will continue to work with the sector to strengthen the system where needed”.
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