The focus will be on sport at the Turn European Championships in Leipzig (May 26-31). However, investigations by the public prosecutor’s office and dealing with the allegations of interpersonal violence are in the background.
Helen Kevric smiled into the camera. Germany’s best gymnast recently wrote on her Instagram account: “I am happy about my results in both qualifications and I’m already looking forward to the European Championship.” In fact, the 17-year-old Olympic participant from Paris has every reason to be happy. Kevric had impressively reported back to the second EM qualification and won the competition in the house. The Stuttgart native had dived for a long time, it was puzzled whether she would take part in the home European Championship at all. The fact that Kevric, despite the difficult circumstances at the Kunst Turn Forum in Stuttgart (her trainer was released at the beginning of the year) and despite learning for the secondary school degree, is at a high level of sport, the national coach is highest. “I was closely integrated into the process,” said Gerben Wiersma in a media round on Friday. “What I saw from her was really great.” That is why Kevric is also set for the all -around battle at the European Championship.
Kevric is fully present in terms of sport. Kevric did not want to and does not want to comment on the allegations of current and former top gymnasts of current and former top gymnasts on physical and mental attacks at the gymnastics points of Stuttgart and Mannheim. In the first European Championship qualification, she had the media representatives guided that she did not give any interviews. The Swabian gymnastics association (StB) announced on SWR request that the Kunst-Turn-Forum in Stuttgart is still not desirable. Turners and their parents did not want this to accept this, the association had to accept this due to the personal rights of the minor gymnasts. This has been possible since the beginning of the year.
Starting trainer Boorman was missing in the hot phase of EM preparation
Only as Aimee Boorman, top American trainer and former success coach from Welstar Simone BilesThe gymnastics center was allowed to be entered by media representatives in March. The gymnasts had already left the hall at that time. The atmosphere in the Kunst-Turn-Forum has improved significantly since the commitment of the charismatic Boorman, more laughing and communicating-all of this can be heard from the environment. Nobody wants to officially say it.
It is astonishing that starting trainer Boorman was not in Stuttgart in the hot preparation phase before the European Championship. “Due to other commitments,” she could not lead the training in May, the German Turner Association (DTB) said on SWR request. This was already known in the obligation of Boorans. That is why the American Laprise Harris-Williams recently headed the training units of the training group around Helen Kevric and Marlene Gotthardt. Harris-Williams has worked closely with Boorman for many years, most recently both founded a company that wants to create its own gymnastics league in the United States. Her work in Stuttgart is “in close coordination” with Boorman. Harris-Williams also belongs to the German team at home.
Difficult situation at the Mannheim gymnastics base
The training situation is also tense at the federal base in Mannheim, since initially former gymnasts and later also Germany Record gymnast Elisabeth Seitz Series Serious allegations, especially against Claudia Schunkformer trainer in Mannheim and today’s national coach young people female.
After the public allegations, Schunk initially had her work at the base in Mannheim. After the Stuttgart public prosecutor’s office had investigated the trainer, Schunk from the DTB was released until further notice. “The duration will depend in particular on the public prosecutor’s investigation, the conclusion of which we have to wait,” said the association. For Schunk, national coach Gerben Wiersma has temporarily taken over the overall responsibility in addition to his actual area of activity.
Investigations by the public prosecutor are also running against the senior trainer at the base in Mannheim. Like Schunk, she too is currently exempted. For the two 17-year-old top gymnasts Silja Stöhr and Janoah Müller, who will start at home in Leipzig for Germany, it was confusing months without their familiar trainers.
“It was a difficult time,” says Stöhr to SWR Sport. “We miss our trainers very much. We always felt like we were a good team.” It adds:
We are sorry not to have them here. We hope you will come back soon.
Silja Stöhr, EM gymnast Mannheim
Her friend and gymnastics partner Janoah Müller says: “We tried to make the best of it and push each other.” The allegations against their trainers were “difficult to understand” for them. Because “we felt very valued and treated well.”
Belonging manager Joachim Fichtner reports how stressful the situation was. “We have needed all-round care in the past few months, not only for the athletes, but also for the coaches. That cost many sleepless nights, because you never know what’s coming.” Basically, one is convinced that “what we do is correct.” You are also open to criticism, but it was stressful.
The failure of the exempted trainers was compensated for in Mannheim by the other experts at the base. However, Fichtner warns: “Everyone is currently going to their load limit. We will see how long we last.” The training of the national cadres in Mannheim was recently led by the coaches Dmitri Loschakov and Narina Kirakosyan. Loschakov will accompany Stöhr and Müller to the European Championship in Leipzig.
Fichtner is impressed by the two 17-year-old squad athletes. “I would not have thought that they made it to the European Championship – with what is pounding on them.” Praise also comes from national coach Gerben Wiersma: “I am extremely proud of the two, as for my entire team at all. The situation for the gymnasts in Stuttgart and Mannheim was hard. Silja and Janoah have performed in the past few months.”
How should things go on in German gymnastics? Fichtner emphasizes that he could only speak for the Mannheim base. “I hope that the athletes should have problems coming to us even more. And we should accept the criticism when it is expressed. We should not try to justify ourselves, but to reflect on.”
During this, the investigation by the Stuttgart public prosecutor continues. On SWR request, the authority announced that eleven objects had now been searched and more than 40 interrogations have been carried out.
The processing has started
The gymnastics system is also examined from another side. At the beginning of April, a five-member expert commission beganto process the grievances in performance -oriented gymnastics, especially with regard to the structures. The working group, chaired by the former public prosecutor Klaus Pflieger, wants to have many conversations to filter out the sticking points. It should be spoken to athletes, but also with parents, trainers and officials. The Bietigheimer Zeitung Pflieger said: “The public prosecutor asked us to do without the planned discussions so as not to hinder their investigations. I can understand that. But we cannot do without such conversations.” He emphasized that he would expect a headwind of athletes, officials or associations.
According to Pflieger, the working group primarily wants to focus on three things: ethical questions of competitive sports would have to be discussed, the social competence (“soft skills”) of trainers and officials should come to the fore, and the compliance rules should be observed and checked. The expert commission plans to submit a report in July.
The DTB takes other ways of dealing with
At the German Turner Bund (DTB) you go a different way. Initially, the Frankfurt law firm Rettenmaier was commissioned to examine the incidents that have become known. For this purpose, the lawyers should actually be surveyed by former and current gymnasts. However, on SWR request, the DTB announced that “no surveys have been carried out on the part of the law firm”. This is done with regard to the priority of the ongoing public prosecutor’s investigations and the interrogations carried out in this context. “A multiple burden on the information persons should be avoided as much as possible,” writes the DTB.
So what does the commissioned law firm do? It is said that in coordination with the Stuttgart public prosecutor’s office, it is currently “initially a data analysis”.
When does the expert council take on its work?
In contrast to the refurbishment AG in Baden-Württemberg, whose work has taken up speed, the DTB is currently creating a “legal basis” for its own processing in order to be able to “track down”. After that, an independently occupied and named expert council is to be launched, and a advisory board concerned is to be continuously integrated.
Until this DTB expert council can start his work, could still go into the country for some time. First of all, it should be waited until the public prosecutor’s office completed its investigation and the law firm Rettenmaier has ended its data analysis.
Prize on Fri., 23.5.2025 6:40 p.m., SWR1 Baden-Württemberg
