As of: January 3, 2025 1:26 p.m

The German Olympic Sports Confederation and the Ministry of Culture have responded to the allegations of abuse at the federal base in Stuttgart. Two people were temporarily released.

The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Culture are calling for a detailed investigation into the allegations made by gymnasts about grievances at the federal base in Stuttgart. The allegations were “worrying,” the DOSB said at the request of the German Press Agency.

The German Gymnastics Federation (DTB) and the Swabian Gymnastics Federation (STB) were asked to… the announced self-examination and processing of the allegations to be included. The ministry responsible for sport in Stuttgart said a conversation had been arranged with the STB. “The unshakable premise of state funding” is “that international competitiveness must not take precedence over the physical and psychological integrity of the athletes. If sports organizations violate this principle, state funds can be reclaimed.”

Safe Sport Code is intended to better protect athletes

Led by the former selection gymnasts Tabea Alt and Michelle Timm, several athletes recently made public grievances at the Stuttgart Art Gymnastics Forum. “Systematic physical and mental abuse” and catastrophic circumstances were denounced. Two people were provisionally released until January 19th. STB and DTB are in the process of further processing the events.

“This situation shows once again how important the adoption of the Safe Sport Code by the DOSB general meeting was and how important it is to implement it quickly in the member associations and structures of organized sport,” said the DOSB. With the Safe Sport Code, interpersonal violence in sport can be legally punished and sanctioned even below the criminal law threshold. The DTB passed him in November.

According to its statement, the Ministry of Culture wants to “continue to work at the national level together with the Conference of Sports Ministers to ensure that individual and structural factors of personal violence in competitive sport are counteracted and that the issue of violence in sport is addressed with even greater awareness.”

Broadcast on Friday, January 3rd, 2025 12:00 p.m., SWR Aktuell at midday, SWR Aktuell

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