Dispute in the Zurich Gymnastics Association: There is said to have been a culture of fear during training

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On Thursday, the Zurich Gymnastics Association (ZTV) sent out a dry press release: the head of top sport, Marc Hansen, was fired. But behind the news flash lies an ugly power struggle in Zurich gymnastics.

On the one hand, the ZTV central board with Marc Hansen. They fired Christian Grossniklaus, head men’s artistic gymnastics coach, in May due to “irreconcilable differences.”

Thick air in the Zurich gymnastics club

On the other hand, 19 long-standing officials and club leaders. They stood behind Grossniklaus and went on strike to force the return of the coach and the dismissal of Hansen and the leadership of the association. Hansen was driving Zurich’s artistic gymnastics up the wall, they complained, and there was an “unprecedented leadership crisis” in the association.

The strike had an effect: ZTV’s central board gave in, withdrew Hansen’s support, first sidelined him and has now dismissed him. In addition, several people from the board and management have resigned. The rebels have won the power struggle. Only the demand that head coach Grossniklaus return has not been implemented. And there may be good reasons for this, according to research by SonntagsBlick.

Accusations are not new

The coach was accused of serious misconduct two years ago during a Zoom call with Hansen’s predecessor and parents of gymnasts. SonntagsBlick knows: It was about psychological violence that the head coach allegedly committed. There was a ‘culture of fear’; the athletes were no longer allowed to use cookies and were systematically subjected to weight checks. The fear of punishment was omnipresent. The ZTV is also an issue with the reporting center for ethical violations, Swiss Sport Integrity (SSI).

When asked, the boss confirmed that several reports about ZTV had been received and were currently being investigated. The SSI does not comment on the contents of the reports. One thing is clear: the name Grossniklaus also appears in it. He writes to SonntagsBlick that he has had a conversation with the SSI. “A lot of things could be corrected there.” He denies the allegations made against him. There was no climate of fear in Rümlang ZH. There are also no dietary restrictions. Weight and height were measured only twice a year to get an overview of the athletes’ physical development.

Association president Sabrina Berri said she could not confirm the allegations against Grossniklaus. The divorce had other reasons; she doesn’t want to mention it. In the “Tages-Anzeiger”, the dismissal was justified with “different views on the value proposition of the association”.

Faced with the accusations, the suspect launches a counterattack. Christian Grossniklaus calls his dismissal an ‘arbitrary decision’. He points out the great solidarity he has experienced from parents, gymnasts, coaches and officials. The coach is not happy with the work of Hansen and the management of the association. His opponents have destroyed many things, so performance center operations continue to suffer.

The Swiss gymnastics club knows nothing

Grossniklaus now works at the “Turnfabrik” in Frauenfeld and from October he will also work 50 percent as a screening trainer in the U12 area at the Swiss Gymnastics Association (STV). Was STV aware of the allegations of psychological violence against Grossniklaus when he was hired?

When asked, the STV refers to the standardized background checks that are carried out when hiring trainers. In the case of Grossniklaus, the results were positive. The STV was also never informed by the SSI about any ongoing procedures. So nothing stood in the way of hiring Grossniklaus.

Marc Hansen, who was fired on Thursday, does not want to comment on his expulsion or the power struggle at ZTV. The German was only hired in June 2022 – with the task of promoting a change in values ​​and culture in gymnastics in Zurich. His involuntary departure just over a year later left gymnastics in Zurich in a shambles.

Source : Blick