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“A gold medal at the Olympic Games has no long-term value if a gymnast describes afterwards what suffering he has experienced and what dreadful life he has had.

As a society, we have to ask ourselves what kind of top sport do we want.

It is good that the gymnasts spoke plainly here. "

This is what Alfons Hölzl, President of the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB), said on Friday about the results of an opinion on the harassment of female athletes at the Olympic base in Saxony.

The head of the association is calling for a cultural change in German gymnastics after the incidents.

Several athletes such as the former balance beam world champion Pauline Schäfer had accused gymnast Gabriele Frehse of harassing her during training, administering medication without a doctor's prescription and not allowing any objection.

The trainer denied these allegations several times and also during a questionnaire as part of the investigations, which the “Spiegel” first reported on the previous year.

It is about baseless accusations and falsehoods.

DTB demands termination of the employment relationship

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“The allegations affected me, I can say that for the presidium as a whole.

We took these allegations very seriously from the start and immediately thought about how to deal with them, ”said Hölzl.

The DTB commissioned a Frankfurt law firm to clarify the situation.

Pauline Schäfer at her showpiece, the balance beam

Source: pa / Eibner-Presse / Memmler / Eibner-Pressefoto

The report now published by the association comes to the conclusion, as Hölzl says, “that we are dealing with psychological violence, not physical and sexual violence”.

Hölzl continues: "On the basis of the investigation, it is also clear that the allegation of drug delivery, in one case Tilidin, has been confirmed."

In a statement, the association therefore demanded the termination of the employment relationship by the Olympic base in Saxony.

Hölzl apologizes to gymnasts

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“It is not a one-time derailment, it is a serious breach of duty.

On behalf of gymnastics, we apologize to the athletes for the suffering they have experienced, ”said Hölzl.

After questioning 32 people, the report came to the conclusion that “in 17 cases there were sufficient actual indications for the use of psychological violence by the trainer”.

The events and the report provide an opportunity “to question and reform gymnastics in Germany as a whole with its structures”.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior, which transfers several million euros in funding to the DTB every year, should also expect a corresponding in-depth analysis.

"We would like to set up a structural and cultural process so that top-class sport is possible while respecting the best interests of the child", promised Hölzl.

Concrete measures as a goal

Among other things, the association wants to work on an international level to increase the starting age for competitions in the senior sector from currently 16 to 18 years.

The rating system should also take more account of growth processes in children, for example.

If, for example, fewer twists and somersaults are allowed for the juniors, the training load will also decrease, so the argumentation.

“This is where it gets down to the nitty-gritty,” said Hölzl, who expects difficult debates with other nations such as China about the rules.

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In addition, the DTB is striving to reform its support system so that in future young athletes can train closer to their home.

This could also be a model for other sports.

"We're not starting from scratch, but there are weak points and there is a need for improvement," said Hölzl.

One will "have to do a lot of persuasion".

The head of the association confessed that he could not rule out that there were incidents at other locations such as Chemnitz.

Hölzl added: "Of course I very much hope that the situation as we found it here is a unique one."