We’ve published the first of a series of new safe sport policies to help better protect the welfare of gymnasts, covering hydration, weighing gymnasts and academic education.  

As a foundation sport that helps you explore and develop what your body can do, gymnastics attracts hundreds of thousands of people to take part each year, with the vast majority of these being children and young people. With that comes a responsibility for us all to ensure their welfare is protected above all else, and that they have a positive first experience of physical activity that can lead on to a happy, healthy, and active life. All the new polices are therefore rooted in the care of participants as a person first, and a gymnast second.  

‘A significant and positive step forward for gymnastics’ 

Speaking about the new policies, our CEO, Sarah Powell, said: “Above all else, we care about gymnasts as people, and these new policies make clear that what matters most in gymnastics is the welfare of those involved.  While practices have moved on a long way, we know there has been poor practice in these areas and so by providing clarity for gymnasts, parents and carers, coaches, clubs, volunteers and officials through the statements set out in these policies it will ensure everyone understands what is OK and what is not OK and help prevent that happening in the future.   

“Thank you to everyone from within and beyond the sport who has contributed to the development of these policies and the ones that will follow. We still have much more to do on our reform journey, but the implementation of these policies forms a significant and positive step forward for gymnastics.”  

What the new policies say:

The policies for hydration and weighing gymnasts further build on and strengthen initial position statements we released last year, while the academic education policy has been introduced with us making clear we do not believe that a child missing regular formal education for gymnastics club training is necessary in the pursuit of achieving their gymnastics ambitions.   

Some of the rules under the new policies include:  

• Hydration: Gymnasts must be provided with opportunities to drink regularly throughout a gymnastics session or activity, with gymnasts encouraged to consume fluids as they feel comfortable to. If a gymnast requires the toilet during a gymnastics session or activity, they must be able to go at the earliest available opportunity.  

• Weighing Gymnasts: Weighing of gymnasts must always be their choice and must only be undertaken by qualified sport science or medical practitioners with the gymnast’s optimal long-term development in mind, and with clear, scientifically valid rationale. Only gymnasts over 10 can be weighed in a gymnastics setting, and weight data must always be combined with another measure. Coaches must not weigh gymnasts.  
• Academic Education: Gymnastics clubs and coaches must ensure that the missing of formal education for gymnastics club training must not be a mandatory requirement for any child. Gymnastics club training must not be scheduled during formal education time (i.e., school hours) for children under the age of 12. Children aged over 12 must only miss formal education time (i.e., school hours) for gymnastics club training under exceptional circumstances and on the condition that the child’s academic education is not compromised.  

The full detail for each policy can be viewed on the Policy Hub on our website. 

New safeguarding policies for hydration, weighing gymnasts and academic education introduced to better protect welfare of gymnasts (british-gymnastics.org)