Extent of British Gymnastics abuse scandal to be revealed on Thursday

The extent of the abuse scandal that has tarnished British Gymnastics’ golden era is expected to be laid bare when the Whyte Review into allegations of mistreatment within the sport is published on Thursday.

The review, jointly commissioned by UK Sport and Sport England in 2020 and chaired by Anne Whyte QC, is set to paint a damning picture of the brutal training methods and culture of fear that permeated an unprecedented period of international success.

The mounting allegations led to the respective departures from the governing body of chief executive Jane Allen in October 2020, and women’s head coach Amanda Reddin – a key architect of Britain’s seven-medal haul at the 2016 Rio Olympics – in May.

Reddin, who left the organisation by “mutual agreement”, was facing an independent investigation into her training methods. She was cleared of some charges and continued to strenuously deny any wrongdoing.

In the interim report published in March last year, Whyte said the allegations painted a “worrying picture” of the elite level of the sport, indicating that over 90 clubs and 100 coaches had been identified in submissions, and that 39 referrals had been made to local authorities as a result.

Publication of the report comes in the same week that a former elite acrobatic gymnast became the first to win a civil case against British Gymnastics after having her allegations of abuse upheld.

The Whyte Review presents an unprecedented opportunity to address historic wrongs in gymnastics and reform the sport we love for the better.

Eloise Jotischky won damages after being subjected to harassment and inappropriate training techniques by coach Andrew Griffiths at Heathrow Gymnastics Club. Dozens of other gymnasts have lodged similar