The serious allegations against the DTB and STB associations as well as the Stuttgart base are shaking German gymnastics. This is the current status.
In recent days, several gymnasts and former athletes have made serious allegations against the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB) and the Swabian Gymnastics Federation (STB) via their social media accounts.
Who has commented so far? What are the allegations?
They only had it in December 17 year old Meolie Jauch ended her career and justified this step with mental pressure. It is not clear whether this decision is related to the allegations in question.
The former gymnast did it three days before Christmas Eve Emelie Petz from Backnang publicly stated that she has been living with eating disorders and self-doubt for a long time. She had to end her career in 2023 due to the consequences of an Achilles tendon injury. She didn’t make any specific accusations, but hinted at grievances. “My injury showed me that some people are only interested in me when I’m successful,” she wrote.
The former Stuttgart top gymnast published on December 28th Tabea Alt an Instagram post with specific allegations. “Eating disorders, punishment training, painkillers, threats and humiliation were commonplace,” she wrote.
In addition to Alt also rose Carina Kröll serious allegations against the DTB. The 23-year-old, who competed for Germany until 2022 and then moved to the Austrian association, particularly denounced the pressure to perform in the gymnastics system. This leaves little time to appreciate successes because new goals would be defined immediately.
With Michelle Timm On Sunday (December 29th) another gymnast commented on the undesirable developments at the Stuttgart base. “These years of abuse are destroying people. This emotional dependency is hard to describe to outsiders and I can’t even express what ‘children like me’ have been through,” the 27-year-old wrote on Instagram.
Also commented on Sunday Janine Berger. The fourth-place finisher at the London 2012 Olympics, who competes for SSV Ulm 1846, wrote on Instagram: “It’s time for changes to finally happen in the German gymnastics system. It’s time for the DTB to take responsibility and grievances not continue to be ignored.”
On December 30th I got in touch Eli Seitz the most famous German gymnast has her say. Gymnastics is her sport, her great passion and she wants to convey this to many people, the 31-year-old wrote on her Instagram channel. “However, in the future, grievances must be remedied and the people who cause them must be held accountable,” demanded the Stuttgart resident.
It was only a matter of time before the topic came up.
Former gymnast Kim Bui
The former top gymnast Kim Bui speaks to SWR Sport about the serious allegations. “To be honest, it doesn’t surprise me. It was just a matter of time that the topic came up.”
On December 31st the gymnast posted Lara Hinsberger her memories of the time in the Kunst-Turn-Forum in Stuttgart. There, as a 14-year-old, she was treated like an object: “I was used. And until I was so mentally and physically broken that I lost all value to the trainers (and at some point also to myself).” The Saarland native is now starting for TV Pflugscheid-Hixberg.
Are such allegations new in gymnastics?
At the end of 2020, athletes at the federal base in Chemnitz, led by former balance beam world champion Pauline Schäfer-Betz, made serious allegations against their then coach Gabriele Frehse. She is said to have harassed the gymnasts during training, administered medication without a doctor’s prescription and did not allow any objection.
Frehse had always denied the allegations. Nevertheless, the DTB refused to continue working with her. After winning a legal battle over her termination by the Saxony Olympic Training Center, Frehse is now the women’s selection coach in Austria. The Chemnitz public prosecutor’s office had previously stopped all investigations.
What do the associations say?
On Saturday, the affected associations responded to SWR’s request with a joint statement. “The German Gymnastics Federation (DTB) as well as the Swabian Gymnastics Federation (STB) take the public debate and allegations about the mental health of competitive gymnasts very seriously. In this context, the DTB and STB have concrete information about possible misconduct on their part responsible trainer at the federal base in Stuttgart.”
In another statement dated December 31st. DTB and STB said they were “affected by the numerous statements made by gymnasts”. At the same time, the associations emphasized that “all complaints and tips were taken seriously and investigated and this will continue to happen in the future. This applies to both the letter from Tabea Alt from 2021 and, for example, the report from Michelle Timm.”
DTB and STB regret that the gymnasts sometimes perceive this completely differently. There have been numerous measures taken as a result of the allegations in the past. However, the current statements ensure that the associations have to examine the measures self-critically.
What’s next?
It is currently unclear whether and, if so, what structural and personnel consequences there will be. In view of the allegations, the Athletes Germany Association sees confirmation that the independent Center for Safe Sport, which is scheduled to go into regular operation in 2026, is “urgently needed”. The implementation of the Safe Sport Code recently adopted by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) must now be pushed forward “quickly, especially in top-class sport”.
As the athletes’ representation further explained on Monday, from their point of view, the recently publicized allegations in gymnastics “must be clarified and dealt with quickly – also in order to prevent ongoing misconduct and thus potentially ongoing suffering for other athletes.” The path to the “desired cultural and structural change in sport” is “still long,” said Athletes Germany.
Broadcast on Monday, December 30, 2024, 7:30 p.m., SWR Aktuell Baden-Württemberg, SWR BW
