Abuse in gymnastics: "You can do what you want in Chemnitz"

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Trainer Frehse: Suspicion of bodily harm and mistreatment of wards

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Catalin Soare / dpa

Psychological violence, strong pain relievers, training with tears.

According to the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB), there have been "serious breaches of duty" at the federal base in Chemnitz.

The Bundestag Sports Committee will therefore question the structures, responsibilities and regulations there in its session this Wednesday.

The gymnastics scandal is now also occupying the public prosecutor's office - and in a first case could now also have civil law consequences.

According to a medical statement, the athlete Leonie Papke is said to have suffered irreparable damage to her spine from her time in Saxony.

The now 17-year-old from Ingolstadt had been doing gymnastics in Chemnitz for three years and was in the national team until the end of 2019.

Papke was x-rayed in Chemnitz in November 2017 as part of the admission examination.

Thereby, growth disorders with wedge-shaped vertebral body changes were discovered in her, a so-called Scheuermann's disease.

"At that time we were only told that it wasn't a problem, many gymnasts did," says Lars Papke, the father of the former gymnast.

"What we didn't know, however, is that in Chemnitz she was injected against her pain for a longer period of time so that she could continue to do gymnastics." Leonie Papke says she assumed that her parents had been informed about it.

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