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Montreal (AFP) – A group of Canadian gymnasts filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the national federation (Gymnastics Canada) and provincial gymnastics bodies for tolerating a climate of abuse and mistreatment for decades.
“This action stems from the physical, sexual and psychological abuse of gymnasts in Canada while they were in the care and control of the provincial gymnastics organization in their jurisdiction and Gymnastics Canada,” reads a copy of the document obtained by the AFP.
“Globally, the sport of gymnastics has come under intense scrutiny for its culture of cruelty,” plaintiffs’ attorneys pointed out, noting that “a culture of control” and “a behavior abuse have led to the creation of an environment in which abuse and mistreatment of athletes is common.
The lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost province, where the lead plaintiff, former gymnast Amelia Cline, resides.
After quitting the sport as a teenager, Cline said he was taking legal action to “hold these institutions accountable” for their abuses.
In an interview with AFP, Cline said he suffered “long-term lingering effects…from this abuse”, including chronic physical and psychological pain.
The lawsuit names the national gymnastics federation, as well as the federations of six of Canada’s 10 provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
The lawsuit comes just over a month after a group of more than 70 gymnasts, many of whom have already dropped out of competition, published an open letter decrying a “toxic culture and abusive practices that persist in gymnastics.” Canadian”.
The letter, which has already garnered more than 400 signatures, calls on the federal government to order an independent investigation after the group behind the “Gymnastics for Change” campaign said it “did not result in nothing” in its attempt to have Gymnastics Canada conduct an internal investigation and address your concerns.
“All disciplines, rhythmic, acrobatic, artistic, tumbling and trampoline, are, to some extent, affected by this culture… and by the mastery that coaches have developed over the decades,” said the door. -group spokesperson, Kim Shore. .
“The accountability system must change,” he stressed.
© 2022 AFP
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