Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest, and abdominal muscle groups. Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks that included skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and from circus performance skills.
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which assigns the Code of Points used to score performances and regulates all aspects of elite international competition. Within individual countries, gymnastics is regulated by national federations such as British Gymnastics and USA Gymnastics. Artistic gymnastics is a popular spectator sport at many competitions, including the Summer Olympic Games.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity founded as the Liverpool Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (LSPCC) by Thomas Agnew on 19 April 1883. The NSPCC lobbies the government on issues relating to child welfare, and creates child abuse public awareness campaigns. Since the 1980s, the charity has had statutory powers allowing it to apply for help on behalf of children at risk. In the 1990s, the charity's publication, Satanic Indicators, fueled panic in social workers who went and accused parents and removed children from homes when they should not have. It operates a help line. The Paddington Bear character has partnered with the charity to raise funds for the charity. NSPCC operates telephone helplines.
Childline is a British counselling service for children and young people aged up to 18 in the United Kingdom provided by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. They deal with any issues which cause distress or concern; some of the most common issues include child abuse, bullying, mental illness, parental separation and or divorce, teenage pregnancy, substance misuse, neglect, and psychological abuse.
Lisa Elena Jane Mason is a British gymnast who has competed for her country at the Commonwealth Games, European championships, World championships and the Olympic Games. She was the vault champion at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, and was part of the first Great Britain women's artistic gymnastic team to qualify for the team event at the Olympic Games.
United States of America Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Established in 1963 as the U.S. Gymnastics Federation (USGF), USA Gymnastics is responsible for selecting and training national teams for the Olympic Games and World Championships. The revised 2018 mission of USA Gymnastics is focused on "creating a culture that empowers and supports its athletes and focuses on its highest priority, the safety and well-being of the athletes." USAG sets the rules and policies that govern the sport of gymnastics, including "promoting and developing gymnastics on the grassroots and national levels, as well as a safe, empowered and positive training environment, and serving as a resource center for members, clubs, fans and gymnasts throughout the United States."
Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center, widely known as Parkettes, is a gymnastics club located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It has produced several teams and individual gymnasts representing the United States, the Czech Republic, and Canada in international meets, including the Olympic Games.
The Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) is an elite sports institute set up in 1983 by the Government of Western Australia to support athletes in Western Australia. Previously, if elite athletes from Western Australian needed to train or receive coaching at an international level they had to move to one of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) campuses which were generally based in the eastern states. The founding director was Wally Foreman who held the position for 17 years until 2001.
Gymnastics Australia (GA) is the governing body for the sport of gymnastics in Australia.
British Gymnastics (BG), officially the British Amateur Gymnastics Association, is the sports governing body for competitive amateur gymnastics and trampolining in the United Kingdom.
Jennifer McIlveen is a retired artistic gymnast who competed for Great Britain in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and subsequently for the UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics team in the NCAA. In 2020, Pinches emerged as a prominent figure in the campaign against abusive coaching practices in gymnastics. becoming a co-founder of the charity Gymnasts for Change with athlete rights advocate, Claire Heafford.
Catherine Lyons is a former British artistic gymnast. She has represented Great Britain numerous times in a prodigious junior career, most notably at the 2014 European Championships where she was crowned Junior European Floor Champion as well as taking home a silver with the team. Lyons retired from the sport in 2018, aged 17.
Elissa Rebecca "Ellie" Downie is a retired artistic gymnast who has represented Great Britain. She is the all-around 2017 European gymnastics champion, the first gymnast to win a major all-around title for Great Britain.
Artistic gymnastics is a type of gymnastics in which athletes compete with short routines on various equipment, including bars, beams, rings, pommel horses, vaulting tables, and on a sprung floor. Gymnastics is well-established in the United States, where available programs range from recreational classes, casual summer camps, and children's leagues; to highly competitive collegiate leagues and four national teams. Although this is not unique to the United States, due to the physically demanding nature of the sport there are fewer options for adult gymnastics outside the elite level, although local parks and recreation departments often have limited offerings.
Maggie Elaine Haney is a former American gymnastics coach, having been suspended for eight years by USA Gymnastics in April 2020 due to her abusive conduct. She serves as the head coach at MG Elite Gymnastics, Inc in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. She is best known for coaching 2016 Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez and 2018 World champion Riley McCusker.
Andy Briggs MBE is a British businessman and chief executive of Phoenix Group. He previously served as the Aviva Chief Executive Officer UK Insurance and Global Life and Health as well as the Government Business Champion for Older Workers and NSPCC trustee.
The USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal relates to the sexual abuse of hundreds of gymnasts—primarily minors—over two decades in the United States, starting in the 1990s. It is considered the largest sexual abuse scandal in sports history.
David C. Ulich is an American film producer and attorney who has supported abuse prevention in sports.
Athlete A is a 2020 American documentary film about the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal. Directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, the documentary follows a team of investigative journalists from The Indianapolis Star as they broke the story of doctor Larry Nassar sexually assaulting young female gymnasts and the subsequent allegations that engulfed USA Gymnastics (USAG) and its then-CEO Steve Penny. It was released on June 24, 2020, by Netflix.
A variety of forms of abuse have been reported in gymnastics, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Abuse has been reported in multiple countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
