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Gymnastics scandal in Chemnitz: particularly bad freestyle comment

2021-02-24T09:37:28.630Z


The Bundestag Sports Committee discusses the consequences of the Chemnitz gymnastics scandal. Hopefully, the committee will not be distracted from the person who is stylized as a victim: the accused trainer Gabriele Frehse.


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Gymnastics equipment in a gym (symbolic image)

Photo: Getty Images / iStockphoto

A few days ago it became known that the national coach Stefan Lurz was said to have manipulated, bullied and sexually coerced swimmers for years.

The SPIEGEL research was hardly on the market when Lurz resigned from his position as a junior coach at the federal base in Würzburg.

Lurz was considered a successful coach.

As someone who turns young athletes into Olympic champions.

Like the gymnastics trainer Gabriele Frehse from Chemnitz.

She is also said to be a "goldsmith".

It is also currently facing massive criticism.

More than a dozen young women accuse her of mentally abusing her as gymnasts at the federal base in Chemnitz, of giving them some strong painkillers or of driving them into an eating disorder.

For maximum success.

Both Lurz and Frehse deny the allegations - but deal with them completely differently.

Lurz has drawn the only correct consequence and resigned from office.

Although it is not entirely clear whether pressure from outside, for example from the association, or voluntarily.

Frehse, on the other hand, bites in public, attacks the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB) and the sports committee of the German Bundestag, which wants to deal with the structures at the Chemnitz location in its meeting today.

One can only interpret Frehse's approach as a strategic move.

In order to distract attention from one's own wrongdoing, but also to prevent the public financiers from drawing conclusions.

"Never crossed the borders"

Frehse, who has been exempted since the beginning of December 2020, complains in particular that she could not see the final report of the investigative commission, which had dealt with the allegations against her person on behalf of the DTB.

Among other things, the authors came to the conclusion that "in 17 cases there were sufficient actual indications for the use of psychological violence by the trainer" and "in addition, in several cases the trainer provided painkillers to gymnasts".

Because she did not know the report, according to Frehse, it was "impossible" for her to comment publicly on the allegations and results.

After all, she was able to comment on this many weeks ago in an interview with the MDR - in the way the athletes describe it, she has "never exceeded the limits" - and through her lawyers she was able to demand declarations of cease and desist based on concrete statements from athletes who had expressed themselves in SPIEGEL.

Namely.

After these warnings were rejected by the opposing parties, Frehse said nothing more.

In addition, the trainer was questioned by the same commission for many hours in the presence of her lawyers.

It is inconceivable that she was not confronted with the specific allegations and facts.

The fact that it is currently being checked whether Frehse can view the report is because the DTB wants to protect the rights of the alleged victims.

Some of those involved only spoke anonymously because they are still afraid of their former trainer.

Gabriele Frehse does not seem to have understood to this day that young women had emotional scars from their time under her.

Nobody seems to be stopping Frehse

It is also astonishing that no one seems to be stopping them.

It seems as if she has no corrective in her environment: parents of current gymnasts are full of praise, even though they have sometimes clashed with her in the past.

And local officials help her mentally by claiming that gymnastics is not a child's birthday and that Frehse is just a pawn.

The Olympiastützpunkt (OSP) Sachsen, Frehse's employer, delivered a particularly bad free routine.

Although he released her after the accusations arose, he does not want to comply with the DTB's request to dismiss Frehse.

Without the investigation report, there would be no legal action.

The legislator has created the possibility of so-called suspicious dismissals for precisely such cases.

An employer can issue this if he suspects that an employee may have committed a criminal act or a serious breach of duty.

And even if the OSP were to lose a possible dispute afterwards in court - which is doubtful, given the numerous witnesses who could say something about the specific facts - yes and?

After all, those responsible would then have proven that the best interests of the child really come first in German competitive sport.

Icon: The mirror

Source: spiegel

All sports articles on 2021-02-24

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