Gymnastics: Review leads to training changes that reflect NZ society

Gymnastics New Zealand forced to make cultural changes after athletes’ welfare came under scrutiny spotlight.

The organization is publicly releasing new training guidelines that differentiate New Zealand from its overseas counterparts.

The overhaul of training practices would put New Zealand’s top gymnasts on a different timeline to their international peers as the governing body battles to keep athletes longer – and better reflect lifestyle from New Zealand.

Allegations of several New Zealand gymnasts, of various ages and levels of competition, suffering from verbal abuse, physical abuse, harassment and unsafe training methods appeared four years ago.

A climate of fear and revenge was highlighted by a three-month independent investigation into the culture of gymnastics in New Zealand, which resulted in 10 general areas of concern and made more than 50 recommendations for change.

Among the issues raised, the review noted: “Many coaches have been brought to New Zealand over the past three decades with the aim of seeking international success for gymnasts here and have introduced abusive training practices that have become normalize.”

GNZ started change process in 2022, and the latest step has been the release of new training guidelines.

“There is work for all of New Zealand sport,” GNZ chief executive Andrea Nelson said.

“We are a constantly changing society and expectations are different and all sports have to move with the times and adapt. Gymnastics probably had a faster learning curve than many others, but by no means is the job done.

“There’s lots and lots to do, but a huge amount has been achieved and I think it’s getting that right balance to allow everyone in the sport to feel comfortable and able to make the right choices to build a great culture.” .

The training guidelines were designed to balance the considerable physical and mental demands of the sport with the need to ensure the long-term physical and mental well-being of participants, Nelson said.

“We’ve deliberately gone about it in a way that covers both recreational and competitive gymnasts and we’re looking at how people might interact between the two to keep people in the sport for longer at a level that fits their life.

“One of the feedbacks we got when we went out into the community to talk about this was, in some cases, to make sure people are getting enough training to be safe as much as others athletes who can do too much training. .

“So it’s really getting the balance right because gymnastics is such a technical sport that we can keep our athletes safe and look after their well-being.”

Coaches, athletes, parents, club managers, GNZ education staff and a consultant from High Performance Sport New Zealand combined to create the guidelines. These were not mandatory for clubs or coaches to adopt – however the GNZ expected affiliated clubs to align their program preparation hours with next year’s training rules.

Children now had to be five years old to enter the social competitive pathway, and from 2026 an athlete had to be seven years old to enter the national competitive pathway. Previously there were no age restrictions. (added)

Training hours would vary by age and stage as well as gender.

For example, a seven-year-old boy who is on the national competitive pathway under the guidelines would train once or twice a week for a total of three to five hours per week, while a boy 15-year-olds would train four to five times a week for a total of 14 to 18 hours.

On the performance pathway, male athletes between the ages of 16 and 18 would train five to six times per week for a total of 22 hours.

In women’s artistic gymnastics, a seven-year-old in national competition, according to the guidelines, would train two or three times a week for a total of three to five hours per week.

A 15-year-old girl would train five to six times a week for a total of 18 to 22 hours during performance.

Male gymnasts over the age of 21 could train up to nine times a week, and for women over the age of 19, training moved to a maximum of nine sessions.

Times were based on a complete athlete. Athletes specializing in less than four machines may train fewer hours than recommended.

There are currently no restrictions on the number of hours an athlete can train. (added)

GNZ head of gymnastics, Olympian David Phillips, who stepped into the role in February, was a early adopter of review recommendations in his former role as CEO of Tri Star Gymnastics.

Phillips was part of the working group that devised the training guidelines and said they “confirm a change in approach that has been taking place for several years”.

“The document aligns with a large percentage of what our clubs are already doing. I think where there is a distinction in the guidelines is that we are quite clear in the New Zealand context, we have to do things a little bit differently to how they are done internationally so that gymnastics is a positive experience but provides and good performance results.

“There will always be outliers and people and training environments that need a bit of training along the way and that’s why this is a live document because the changes that are happening in New Zealand also reflect the changes that are happening at the international.

“As he continues to evolve, we will have to continue to educate our clubs and evolve with him.”

GNZ was aware that this training approach would have a trickle-down effect.

“It will look different from other countries that still do early specialization training, but we believe in a New Zealand setting it’s right for us.”

Phillips said that internationally the age, especially of female artistic gymnasts, is increasing significantly.

“A number of decades ago, athletes peaked in their mid- to late-teens. Now we see Olympic medalists in their late 20s and even older.

“This suggests that the lifespan of a performance athlete is much longer than previously thought, so it makes sense then that there is not the same requirement to stimulate skill development so early.

“So what we’ve done is we’ve assumed that athletes can continue to perform at a high level into their 20s and beyond and work backwards from there, which just means that in New Zealand, athletes don’t” I don’t have to sacrifice opportunities to participate in other sports and other activities when they are young and have time to do some sports.”

Phillips’ own experience as a gymnast was positive, but he knew that wasn’t the case for all of his peers.

“Throughout the journey, I’ve seen a lot of people leave the sport really young and not always with positive experiences, and a lot of that has been because they’re being asked to do it so early when they’re young.

“I think what this different path offers and its potential is that we keep kids in sport for longer and hopefully with more positive experiences. I am quite excited to see our clubs implement these changes and see more adults. athletes in gymnastics because that’s really what we’re aiming for with these changes.”

Published training guidelines apply to artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, and training guidelines for trampoline and aerobics will be released in 2025.

Sign up to Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox. of email every day of the week.