The sports committee of the Baden-Württemberg state parliament does not save with criticism of the establishment of a law firm to clarify allegations of abuse in gymnastics. The minister has a clear demand that state funds for the art gymnast forum are frozen.
Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Sports Theresa Schopper is informed of the allegations of abuse in Stuttgart and Mannheim commissioned law firm commissioned by the German Turner Association (DTB) For insufficient. “We need a different instance for clarification than the law firm,” said the Greens politician a meeting of the state committee for culture, youth and sport.
“It is clear to us that an addition to an expert council must be deployed because the athletes’ trust is not there,” said the chairwoman of the conference of sports ministers. With this, Schopper reacted to one Open letter from former top gymnasts.
Gymnasts demand withdrawal of the law firm
The 28 signing persons warn that such an investigation cannot be independent. In their view, the results could be influenced by DTB’s interests. The order to the law firm should be withdrawn.
“We have to take the open letter from the gymnasts seriously,” said committee chairman Petra Häffner (Greens), who is also a member of the Presidium of the Swabian Gymnastics Association (StB). She was convinced that the law firm could not do an independent information. “It is not expedient to continue working with the law firm under these circumstances,” she said.
Frozen state funds for art-gymnastics forum
The Rettaier law firm had already examined in 2020 in the course of allegations of abuse at the Chemnitz base on behalf of the DTB. It was clear that this law firm has no trust of those affected and was not accepted by the gymnasts, said SPD MP Sascha Binder. It was therefore unsuitable to clarify the cases.
According to Schopper, the DTB wants to inform the ministry about details of the planned external reconnaissance commission on this Friday. “We do not dictate the people who are in the expert body, we advise,” said the minister.
Allegations mainly from Stuttgart and Mannheim
It is important that the athletes’ trust must be given. Currently, state funds for the Kunst-Turn forum (1.5 million euros) in Stuttgart are frozen up to an external clarification of the allegations of abuse.
This is “the means of pressure that we want an independent information,” said Schopper. Athletes have levied serious allegations and among other things “Systematic physical and mental abuse” as well as catastrophic circumstances in Stuttgart criticized. Most recently, similar allegations had also been made at the Mannheim base.
Prize on Thursday, February 1st, 2025 6:40 p.m., SWR1 Baden-Württemberg
