I still have nightmares: Nicole Pavier details abuse she suffered as a gymnast

A survivor of abuse within gymnastics says she still has nightmares about what happened to her as a child and even now feels “terrified” and “physically sick” when she smells the perfume worn by her coaches.

Former England gymnast Nicole Pavier provided testimony to the Whyte Review into the mistreatment of athletes within the sport, which was published on Thursday.

The Review received over 400 submissions and detailed systemic physical and psychological abuse, which it said centred around British Gymnastics’ prioritising of cash and success over athlete welfare.

In a wide-ranging interview with the PA news agency, Pavier:

:: Said she had experienced abusive practices at clubs in two completely separate parts of the country.:: Said she had been forced to continue training on the bars even when her hands were bleeding through her gloves.:: Revealed she had been the victim of weight-shaming techniques and suffered from an eating disorder, which she did not fully recover from until she was in her early 20s.:: Expressed a lack of confidence in UK Sport and its chief executive Sally Munday, who she said had been “dismissive” about the extent of the problems within gymnastics.:: Called for a register to be set up allowing parents to see if coaches had ever been suspended as part of a safeguarding investigation and warned parents were being “set up for a fall” if this did not happen.:: Said she does not believe the sport is safe for children as things stand.

Pavier, who is 26 and now works as a nurse, said nothing in the Whyte Review had come as a shock to her. She started out at the Bristol Hawks club before moving to the Notts Gymnastic Academy.

“When I was very young there was physical abuse,” she told PA, “forcing me to