“Shitshow”: Gymnastics World in Chaos as Another Major Exit Rocks Great Britain Team

British Gymnastics’ head coach for women’s artistic gymnastics, David Kenwright, resigned just 3 months before the Paris Olympics. Kenwright joined Britain Gymnastics in 2017 but quickly became the target of public hatred in 2020, when athletes opened up about abuse in the sport—from grassroots coaching to the elite level. Later, in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the veteran coach oversaw Team GB’s first women’s Olympic medal in 92 years.

A few British gymnasts who expressed fears ultimately changed their career after premature retirement. The internet has once again banded together to condemn the situation that has brought everything but gymnastics skills to the limelight in Britain.

Team Britain’s Gymnastics team continues to bear losses

With the majority looked forward to the antics set to begin on July 27 in Paris 2024, the timing of Kenwright’s exit raises eyebrows. While Team GB has been a dominant force in the sport since the Tokyo Olympics, Kenwright’s retirement might tip the balance, giving competing nations an advantage. The news was further confirmed on X(Twitter) by @stevescott_itv, “NEW | Team GB’s head national coach for Women’s Artistic Gymnastics David Kenwright has quit just 3 months before the Olympics in Paris.”

Amanda Reddin stepped down in May 2022 following harassment allegations against her, all of which she disputed. Then, Kenwright was officially appointed as Head National Coach for Women’s Artistic Gymnastics in September 2022, having previously served on an interim basis. Following the 2022 World Championships, competitors got an email denouncing “naysayers,” “non-believers,” and “attacks on professional and personal integrity.” As the long note by Kenwright went viral back in the day, many disliked how he ended with, “Success is the best revenge.”

Last year, World bronze medalist Ellie Downie announced her premature retirement from the sport with 12 medals in her senior career. Downie also spoke about Kenwright’s mail, saying, “Seeing that email consolidated that I would definitely not get selected again. It was tough to read that. To still be getting punished [for speaking out], I just can’t stay on a programme where I cannot speak.” Now that the British team is back in the limelight, the awful backstory has fans condemning the governing body on the internet.

Supporters flock to X to chime in

British gymnasts flourish despite a toxic environment within British Gymnastics claimed many on the internet after reading David Kenwright’s mail, and this time was no different. Despite the nature of the organization, their brilliance and dedication shines through. While it is not unusual for athletes to encounter such things one wrote under the recent X post,  “i fear we as outsiders actually cannot grasp the Real magnitude of this shitshow” sharing scepticism on the British Gymnastics scene.

“Something is afoot,” This dialogue is a perfect illustration of GB’s bias toward coaches above gymnasts and now their image in the upcoming Paris Olympics. For context, British Gymnastics received an average of 300 complaints each year from 2015 to 2020. Many gymnasts came forward to call out the mental abuse with others taking a premature retirement because of the toxic environment, all of which gave gymnasts a new head coach with similar traits in 2022.

The fallout from gymnastics to now the head coach leaving the British Gymnastics contingent thinner was compared by someone, who said, “This seems like a depressing documentary unfolding in front of our eyes.”

British gymnasts are currently participating at the European Gymnastics Championships, hoping to create a berth for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Great Britain fielded a formidable team in Rimini, Italy. The lineup comprised British champion Ondine Achampong, three-time European gold medalist Becky Downie, triple European champion Georgia-Mae Fenton, Olympic bronze medalist Alice Kinsella, and rising star Ruby Evans. And with the continental Olympics berths qualifiers underway, one questioned, “EXCUSE ME???? in the middle of Europeans too? What even is going on there?”  

Lastly, someone questioned the contingent, “GB WHAT IS GOING ON?”

The last Olympics saw historic achievements for the country, but with the team commander now out of the picture, the gymnastics scene in this mega games season seems unclear, doesn’t it?