"Stop getting fat", "you're autistic", "you don't understand anything"... Former gymnast speaks in 'Europe 1 Sport'

Jean-Baptiste Sarrazin with Martin Lange / Photo credit: STEPHANE KEMPINAIRE / DPPI via AFP 22:01 p.m., May 15, 2023

Speech is freed in the world of gymnastics. In a documentary broadcast on the program Stade 2, several former French athletes decided to speak out to denounce the psychological violence they may have suffered when she was younger. Among them, Clara Della Vedova, former champion of uneven bars, justified her choice to testify in Europe 1 Sport (every evening from 20h to 23h live on Europe 1). "I thought it was a very good thing for future generations. These training methods are counterproductive and can shatter careers and lives, "said the one who converted to diving later.

Clara Della Vedova assures her, she suffered several times "psychological violence" when she was only a teenager. The latter were akin to "insults on the physique, on the weight" even though she was barely 15 years old. "On my physique, I've already been told remarks like: 'When are you going to stop getting fat?' Or a message in the evening at 22 p.m., in the middle of the week, such as: 'You are deprived of training because you are overweight and it is dangerous for your health.'" Psychologically Clara Della Vedova suffered. She explained in Europe 1 Sport that she had been the subject of remarks such as: "You are goats, you are good for nothing", or "But you are autistic, you do not understand anything."

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"Finally, it's over"

Regular situations that made the young gymnast lose her motivation. While she was selected in April 2012 to participate in the European Championships, she ruptured her Achilles tendon during training. An injury that forced him to withdraw but which in reality relieves the French athlete: "It made me feel relieved. Suddenly, I said to myself that's it, well, it's over." Strong words that reflect the state in which some gymnasts were at the time.

Taking this subject head on, the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra decided to open an investigation. "What is needed is that we can open an investigation and we will do it tomorrow (Monday) morning with the teams of the Ministry of Sports," responded Sunday evening the minister on the set of Stade 2. For his part, after refusing to answer questions from France Televisions, the president of the FFGym James Blateau said in a statement to take "all the measure of the testimonies" and bring his "full support to the victims". "As a result, I have convened an exceptional meeting of the executive board of the federation on Monday to discuss the measures to be taken," he added. The minister had announced that she would summon James Blateau and the DTN of the FFGym.