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Abuse scandals in the Swiss Gymnastics Federation (STV) have rocked sports Switzerland. And they are drawing wider and wider circles – now politics is activating. A day after former Federal Councilor Micheline Calmy-Rey (75) asked Sonntagsblick for politicians to “ask questions and ask for answers” on the serious cases rumored to have occurred in the National Performance Center in Magglingen in recent years, he effect Sports Commission of the Council of States (WBK).
On Monday he summoned the heads of STV, Swiss Olympic and the Federal Office for Sport, then approved a proposal to create an independent national contact point for victims of abuse in sport. This should help strengthen the rights of athletes.
Politicians are following a call from Ariella Kaeslin (33). Already in the summer, the former European gymnastics champion told Sonntagsblick: “Maybe it would be nice if gymnasts had a special contact point for these problems. There should be an independent commission that takes on a control function and monitors what is happening. “
“Non-independent and unprofessional” reporting offices
There are already registration offices in individual sports associations. “But these are not independent and unprofessional,” states Green Councilor Maya Graf (58). Her colleague from the Council of States in Basel, Eva Herzog (SP, 58), also hopes that a national reporting office will have a preventative effect: “Today many gymnasts are afraid to report internally because they fear repression during training”.
Political pressure is also absolutely necessary so that the process of handling cases does not “fall asleep”. “The planned reporting point is also a warning sign for associations,” says Commission President Hannes Germann (64, SVP). He wouldn’t be surprised if there were similar cases of abuse in other individual sports such as gymnastics.
Do the ethics guardians organize themselves like doping hunters?
“With this approach, politics is opening doors for us,” says Roger Schnegg, director of Swiss Olympic. Background: Since the beginning of the year, Swiss Olympic has been investigating what a national reporting office independent of individual associations could look like. “We have three reports on this and our Executive Council will deal with them this month.”
This was started regardless of the incidents in the STV. For Schnegg, the advantage of having a single reporting office is clear: “The fact that it is completely separate from individual associations ensures the protection of potential victims who report. We can no longer suspect that something is wrong. “
What exactly the central reporting office might look like has not yet been defined. “A national organization such as Antidoping Switzerland is conceivable”. As an independent foundation, doping hunters are half financed by the federal government and half by Swiss Olympic.
“It is not enough to dismiss individual coaches”
In recent years, the Swiss Gymnastics Federation has repeatedly witnessed serious abuse: gymnasts have been bullied and abused as fat; National rhythmic gymnastics coaches even physically tortured their athletes. “It is not enough for individual coaches to be fired,” states councilor Herzog. “Training methods and the atmosphere in top-level gymnastics generally need to change.”
Tuesday continues the gauntlet for sportswear. After Monday’s appointment to the Council of States, they have to go to Sport Minister Viola Amherd (58), who stayed away from the WBK hearing.
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