The storm doesn’t seem to be abating at Gymnastics Canada, which is already in turmoil over alleged wrongdoing. Three Olympic athletes have written to the board of directors calling for the resignation of the federation’s chairman and chief executive officer
• Also read: Pascale St-Onge denounces Gymnastics Canada’s approach
• Also read: Toxic culture: Canadian gymnasts challenge minister Pascale St-Onge
Olympic champions Kyle Shewfelt and Rosie MacLennan, as well as Ellie Black, who has competed in three Olympics, signed the letter Friday saying they no longer have faith in MM. Ian Moss and Jeffery Thomson to straighten out the organization that oversees this discipline in the country.
“We don’t believe Ian Moss anymore [PDG] and Jeffrey Thomson [président du C.A.] have the capacity and community confidence to enable Gymnastics Canada to weather the current crisis,” we can read in the letter received by Radio-Canada on Monday.
support of the minister
“Ian and Jeff have failed to recognize the full extent of the challenge Gymnastics Canada faces and take no responsibility for the current state of the sport,” it said.
The three signatories received the backing of German Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge on Monday, who judged their proposal “appears considered, adult and legitimate”.
“A sports organization belongs first and foremost to its athletes,” she told the Journal. We’ve been hearing stories of abuse or governance issues in gymnastics for a number of months – which is why I withdrew funding from Gymnastics Canada last summer. »
Coach under the magnifying glass
For its part, the Gymnasts for Change Canada movement, which fights against abuse in the discipline, hopes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will heed the call for a judicial inquiry to ensure that no athlete has to put themselves in a vulnerable position or survivors have to have their most painful experiences to share publicly,” the group wrote in a text exchange with Le Journal.
Shewfelt, MacLennan and Black specifically blame MM. Moss and Thomson for hiring American Christian Gallardo to coach the women’s national artistic gymnastics team without consulting athletes and ignoring allegations of misconduct against him in the United States.
The situation is reminiscent of that of manager Alex Bard, who was promoted within the federation despite a complaint and allegations of inappropriate behavior and abusive practices.
In 2019, Mr Moss announced Mr Bard’s departure for personal reasons, but confirmed Monday before federal elected officials that he had terminated his contract.
toxic climate
That case, along with the toxic climate denounced in another letter signed by hundreds of people in March, was also at the heart of the work of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women in Ottawa on Monday on women and girls in sport.
Barraged with questions about athlete safety and the federation’s transparency, Mr Moss defended himself by saying “an allegation is not a fact and the federation should rely on facts”, adding that “formal complaints” were necessary, in order to be able to “put forward decisions”.