Former Olympians are among a list of 62 people British Gymnastics (BG) has banned from membership and publicly shamed.
But campaigners for safety in the sport have slammed BG over the stance it took, claiming the governing body failed to name "many coaches" who should be on the list and accusing it of "serious institutional betrayal".
Ex-Olympians Brian Phelps and Stanley Wild were among those listed for offences pertaining to "criminal conviction", "safeguarding" and "disciplinary reasons".
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Stretching back to 1994, the list consists of coaches, judges and one gymnast who've been sanctioned, most of whom have been "expelled", meaning their bans are lifelong.
BG published the list on the back of horrific findings produced by the Whyte Review, which was co-commissioned in 2020 to investigate bullying, abuse and discrimination. Among the findings were cases of sexual abuse of children, body shaming and gaslighting.
A lobbying group called Gymnasts for Change blasted BG after reviewing the list published this week.
"The publication of BG's expulsions list is an indictment against a failed organisation struggling to tackle the immense task of reforming its coaching cultures," Gymnasts for Change said in a statement.
"Today's failed act by BG represents a serious institutional betrayal for many complainants [and] their families across the UK who have fought hard over the past three years to report abuse in gymnastics.
"Until there is greater transparency in the complaints, investigations [and] appeals processes … the list will remain an empty promise containing the names of those coaches whose abusive behaviours were deemed egregious enough to meet the very highest bar of a criminal conviction, usually reserved for sexual abuse cases."
The statement added that the inadequate list left "the coach-led culture of fear … to continue with business as usual".
Another lobbying group, the Gymnast Parent Alliance, said in its own statement that although it appreciated BG for taking the step of publishing the list, it is "profoundly disappointed" that some coaches are "conspicuously absent".
"We have consistently advocated for British Gymnastics to take a more transparent approach by publicly identifying coaches responsible for harming children through emotionally and physically abusive coaching techniques," the Gymnast Parent Alliance said.
"This transparency would empower parents to make well-informed decisions about where their children can safely and positively engage in gymnastics."
The Gymnast Parent Alliance added that until BG made the "health and welfare of the children" its highest priority, they would "continue be exposed to unnecessary risks".
"It's imperative that they air their concerns publicly to safeguard the sport's future."
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