Retired Gymnast Fires Back, Files Class-Action Suit Against Canadian Coaches

A one-time rising star in the gymnastics scene over in Canada is firing back for the reported mental and physical abuse she suffered back in the 2000s.

She was identified as Amelia Cline, claiming that officials from Gymnastics Canada had an unhealthy environment that includes athletes being inappropriately touched and often berated by handlers.

Aside from that, the athletes were also allegedly subject to public humiliation and body shaming, the Washington Post reported.

“Numerous gymnasts across Canada have brought forward complaints spanning decades that detail their experiences of sexual, physical and psychological abuse and institutional complicity that has enabled the culture of mistreatment of gymnastics athletes to persist,” the suit read.

The said suit comes not long after several Canadian gymnasts, boxers and bobsled skeleton athletes claimed maltreatment by their coaches and organization leaders.

Earlier this week, Daniel Trepanier, Boxing Canada’s performance director resigned after 121 boxers accused the organization of maintaining a hostile and abusive culture.

As far as Cline is concerned, she claims that her career was damaged after coaches pushed her to compete despite her injuries. This resulted, among other things, in stunted growth, anxiety, insomnia and nightmares.

Her complaint comes just two months after 71 gymnasts sent an open letter to Sport Canada calling for an investigation into a toxic culture of abuse.

“Over the past five years alone, there have been multiple complaints about and even arrests for various forms of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse,” they said in the letter. “The subjects of these complaints have been Canadian coaches, many of whom we were exposed to as minors at GymCan sponsored training camps, provincial/national competitions, and national team assignments,” the letter read.

Gymnastics Canada released a statement on the matter, expressing sadness over the allegations. They also added an external organization should look into the complaints.