Serious accusations against gymnastics coach Zurich: “Son had to pay for criticism of training”

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The Zurich Gymnastics Association (ZTV) cannot calm down. At the beginning of this month, the SonntagsBlick reported on the grievances and power struggles within the ZTV.

Now a former gymnast speaks anonymously for the first time in a report by SRF about the conditions in the regional performance center in Rümlang ZH. There he was allegedly humiliated and bullied by the former head coach – with devastating consequences. The young man suffered from panic attacks and depression. «My depression was very severe at certain times. “I thought about jumping in front of the train instead of going to practice,” says the gymnast.

Ignoring medical instructions

The former head coach of the performance center also ignored medical instructions when he was injured: “As soon as the cast came off, you had to get back on the machine. No matter how much pain you were in. It was then said: don’t be a wimp, anyone can grit their teeth.”

The former head coach – who is no longer employed by ZTV – denied the allegations against SRF and stated that he has never been confronted with ethically incorrect behavior in his years of professional activity.

Culture of fear in Rümlang

Is that the whole truth? Back in 2021, the former head coach was accused of serious misconduct by parents of gymnasts during a Zoom call. Back then it was already about psychological violence. There was a culture of fear, as Blick reported a few weeks ago.

Parents now report that the former head coach punished the children when there was criticism of the coach’s working methods. “If you were critical about something as a parent, you knew that your son would have to pay for it at the next training,” said the mother of a gymnast.

Reports, but no procedures

In May 2023, the head coach at ZTV was fired due to “irreconcilable differences of opinion”. Today he works as a national U12 screening coach at the Swiss Gymnastics Association (STV). They knew nothing of the allegations and referred Blick to the standardized background check.

There are several reports about the former head coach at Swiss Sport Integrity (SSI), the reporting center for ethical violations, which are currently under investigation. However, according to the current state of affairs, there is no procedure and only these should have been reported to the STV. (jsl)

Source : Blick