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The German Gymnastics Federation takes a SPIEGEL report as an opportunity to conduct an independent investigation (symbol image)
Photo: Peter Byrne / dpa
The German Gymnastics Federation (DTB) has announced independent investigations after a SPIEGEL report.
"The DTB takes the allegations made extremely seriously and will immediately clarify the facts in question independently so that it can then decide on possible consequences," it said in a statement.
In SPIEGEL, six young women raised serious allegations against a trainer at the federal base in Chemnitz.
The gymnasts had been "psychologically tormented" and "bullied" for years.
The trainer did not want to comment publicly, her lawyer rejected the allegations as "unfounded".
Among other things, the athletes were driven into eating disorders or were given strong painkillers.
Your parents would not have known about it.
As a gymnast, you can take a lot, said Pauline Schäfer, 2017 world champion. "But being humiliated every day - that leaves its mark at some point."
The association condemns all forms of violence and distances itself from any training methods described in SPIEGEL, the DTB said.
"If the allegations are confirmed, this would in no way correspond to the values of the DTB and the framework conditions for responsible training."
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