Gymnastics Ethics Foundation sets new safeguarding standards to protect athletes from abuse and harassment


Gymnastics Ethics Foundation sets new safeguarding standards to protect athletes from abuse and harassment

The GEF, the sport's international investigations agency, issued new safeguarding standards to better protect athletes from abuse and harassment, with a view to the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games.

The President of the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation, Micheline Calmy-Rey, said “Gymnasts 2028 outlines an ambitious vision that the GEF seeks to achieve underpinned by a strong, relevant, agile strategic framework. The GEF Council wholeheartedly established and adopted this framework focusing on our collective responsibilities to create a safe, thriving, and impactful sport for all gymnasts to participate and compete in throughout their lives. The time is now, and the actions needed are clear. Taking no action is not an option.” 

Gymnasts 2028 outlines urgent challenges and trends in gymnastics and describes how the GEF seeks to address them through five strategic priority areas. These areas relate to harm prevention, discipline and adjudication, capacity development, growth, and value generation in cooperation with a global network (the global gymnastics ecosystem).

Examples of planned activities under these five priority areas include: 

  • engage, support and protect survivors, whistle-blowers and investigative media involved in exposing, uncovering or addressing harmful and unethical behaviour; 
  • develop relationships, formal partnerships and resources with athlete-led organisations, sport integrity bodies, sports bodies, government, IGOs and NGOs, and law enforcement that develop proactive systems for intelligence gathering; 
  • identify, assess and mitigate strategic and operational institutional risks across the global gymnastics ecosystem in accordance with international standards (e.g. ISO 31000) and best practices; 
  • commission, identify, assess and promote research related to various topics that impact the safety, ethics and integrity of gymnastics (age, gender, equipment, scoring, etc.); and 
  • support and provide athlete and child rights guidance on the formulation of rules, regulations, policies, procedures and practices.

The GEF was set up in January 2019 by the FIG, gymnastics' world governing body, following the abuse case involving Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor serving decades in prison for abusing hundreds of young female athletes. 

You can view the full Gymnasts 2028 document here

You may also like

View All

Sport Resolutions launches refreshed strategy to support its sustainable growth and integrity in sport

Sport Resolutions is pleased to announce the launch of its refreshed company strategy, developed in response to continued growth within our organisation and the wider evolution of the sporting landscape

Read More

Prevention programmes believe ACL injuries in women’s football can be reduced by half

Prevention programmes believe training and technology could possibly resolve frequent torn anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) in women’s football by half or more

Read More

Sport Resolutions invites applications for the roles of Chair and Member(s) of the ITF Ethics Commission

Sport Resolutions is seeking independent individuals to serve as Chair and Member(s) of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Ethics Commission, playing a key role in upholding ethical standards and promoting good governance in international tennis

Read More

Newsletter Signup

Please enter your email address below: