Over the past few months, the sport of gymnastics has been through its fair share of ups and downs. On one hand, the fervor for the approaching NCAA season in the USA was at a fever pitch. On the other hand, a national federation, aka German gymnastics, was taking on some intense blows. Several German gymnasts had voiced confessions about their systemic issues. Months after that, now another young gymnast, this time from Mexico, isn’t ready to hold back either.

Mistreatment of gymnasts, ignorance of their issues, and many other problems have come up in the recent past, especially when athletes like Amelie Pfeil, Tabea Alt, and a handful of others confessed about the gaps in the system. Although all those issues seemed to be limited to the German federation, they were still related to the sport at large. But now, a gymnast from Mexico has voiced a more terrifying confession. Here’s what she talked about.

On March 9, 20-year-old Fernanda Lopez, a former women’s artistic gymnast (WAG), took to her Instagram and dropped a confession. The gymnast added a joint post with Mexican gymnasts Camilia Flores and Karen Amaya. The translated version of the post originally written in Spanish comes up to, “This one is for you mama.” The former WAG then goes on to admit, “Since I was 7 years old, I was s–ually, physically, and mentally a–sed. My gym teacher would hurt me so at the end of the day he could give me massages in which he would end up s–ually a–sing me.”

In her post, the gymnastics athlete also confessed that this went on for 3 years and detailed the last time it happened. She mentioned it happened one night before the national Olympics at the hotel. But years later, today, the gymnast says that she is finally speaking about it because “I am doing this because I don’t want any other girl to go through the same and for my friends that I love so much and who still don’t believe us.” 

The gymnastics star ended her post with, “Someone like that cannot be in charge of a gym, much less be a part of the Mexican Federation of Artistic Gymnastics.” Coming to the caption of the confessional post was sung with the same emotion as Lopez’s words. It read, “It is unacceptable that those who should be role models and supporters become the main aggressors. Sport should be a safe space where every girl can grow, dream, and succeed without fear or a–se.”

And what she’s said seems to have perhaps made an impact. A few hours ago, on March 10, the Mexican Gymnastics Federation posted a release on Instagram, originally in Spanish. The translation of it per Google Translate reads, “Following recent statements by some gymnasts regarding a–se by a coach affiliated with the FMG for the state of Nueva Leon, the Disciplinary Commission is already working on the corresponding investigation.” The Federation also noted in its release that the coach will be suspended as a precautionary measure by the FMG while the corresponding investigation is completed.

If we look at the athlete’s career herself, how do her experiences as a gymnast tie in with Fernanda Lopez’s career? Well, Lopez had been tumbling on the gymnastics mats for 10 long years. But then, she decided to call it quits. No, she wasn’t done with sports. Just gymnastics. So, she transitioned to a different kind of mat, the wrestling one. Yes, Lopez is currently a wrestling star with Southern Oregon University Athletics. And her 2023-24 stats? They’re impressive! She qualified for the NAIA Championships as a true freshman with an 18-9 overall record. She also became an All-Cascade Conference performer with a 3rd place finish in the 123-pound bracket at the CCC Championships.

To date, she continues to be a part of the sport. It looks like perhaps the comfort and drive that she may not have gotten in gymnastics came to her when she switched over to wrestling. But in facing issues in the gym, this gymnastics athlete wasn’t alone. As previously mentioned, German gymnasts have also stood up against the issues in the sport. Only they were very different from the one that Fernanda Lopez talked about.

Gymnastics had just survived a blow from the Germans

Towards the end of 2024, the national gymnastics base in Stuttgart began facing multiple a–se allegations in quick succession from both current and former gymnasts. Among these, one of the most detailed and stern ones had come from Tabea Alt, a 2016 Olympian and 2017 World bronze medalist. On December 28, 2024, on Instagram, she revealed how, “It is not an isolated case: eating disorders, punishment training, painkillers, threats and humiliation were the order of the day. Today I know it was systematic physical and mental a–se.”

Even Lara Hinsberger opened up about her experience in her teen days and said, “I was used. And that was until I was so mentally and physically broken that I lost all value for the trainers and for myself too.” Soon after these back-to-back instances, the DTB and the STB promised a thorough investigation into the matter. But what do you think the German gymnasts will do? Let us know below!