“It took a village for me to get to where I am,” reflected Isabella Brett in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com. Having represented the fern internationally 17 times, Isabella Brett has competed in three World Championships and seven World Cups. She holds four New Zealand National All-Around titles and has accumulated an impressive tally of 40 National Championship medals. Just months after triumphing at the Continental Championships and making a significant comeback following an 11-month hiatus, Brett secured the quota at the Ocean Championships.

However, a controversial policy change implemented by the gymnastics federation has dashed her dreams of competing at the Paris Olympics. Despite her stellar track record, Isabella Brett narrowly missed the new selection criteria. This devastating outcome has left her and her supporters in despair and sparked a widespread debate about fairness in the selection process.

Broken dreams: Isabella Brett, a formidable kiwi grapples with the unthinkable

In an Instagram post on the 20th of June, gymnast Isabella Brett let the world know about the saddening news that she will not be a part of the NZ gymnastics team despite obtaining the quota spot at the Oceania Championships, “Our criteria we have to meet is hard, and sadly I was just not good enough.” She captioned the post, “I’m deeply devastated and saddened to announce that I will not be able to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics Games”. She continued, explaining that her exclusion was due to Gymnastics New Zealand deciding not to put forward her nomination to the New Zealand Olympic Committee for the Games.

Isabella Brett expressed deep disappointment over the delayed and insufficient communication throughout the process, which left little opportunity for further appeal of the decision. She also mentioned lacking funds to pursue the matter through the sports tribunal. In New Zealand, the “Earn the Fern” initiative requires athletes to prove their capability of placing in the top 16 at the Olympic Games. Unfortunately, Brett fell short of this stringent criterion and expressed sadness that the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) did not support her nomination. “I believe Gymnastics New Zealand could have supported my nomination and advocated for me,” she said, disappointed with their lack of action in forwarding her nomination.

Following an 11-month hiatus, Brett noted, “Only having the opportunity to attend 4 key events out of the 13 available in the 2-year qualification period, I did not perform to the standards needed to be considered.” Acknowledging the challenges involved in qualifying and competing at the Games, Brett conceded that the criteria were rigorous, and she regretfully did not meet them this time. As a result of Gymnastics New Zealand’s standards and policies, she was denied the opportunity to compete in this year’s Olympics, despite being New Zealand’s seventh-ever all-around gymnast to qualify for the Olympics. In addition to her achievements, Brett excelled in the 2024 Doha World Cup, Cairo World Cup, and Cottbus World Cup, showcasing her impressive skills. Despite the stringent rules preventing her from competing, her resilience continues to inspire those around her.

Isabella Brett’s positive outlook shines brightly

Isabella Brett has had a tough go. She told Olympics.com, how before the age of 23, she has coursed through 9 NZ towns and fifteen homes. The family was always traveling to ensure Brett had the best possible facilities to train. From the age of 16, Brett also took up several side jobs, including coaching at the gym. She often flew across the country to choreograph 10-20 floor exercises as well as beams. This is in addition to the bars and cafe jobs she took up to financially support her elite gymnastics dreams. “As an adult, I have to do as much as I can,” she said, “So that’s also why I haven’t gone back to study yet. Because working, studying, training [and] traveling is a bit hard to juggle, of course.”

However, Brett seemed hopeful about the future. She sees parallels with Oksana Chusovitina, aiming to compete at age 53 in the LA ’28 Olympics. Isabella believes she, too, can represent her country at 27. Brett wrote on Instagram, “My gymnastics journey doesn’t end here, I will continue to represent New Zealand 🇳🇿 I look forward to helping inspire the next generation of gymnasts here in NZ and around the globe.” Her sights are now set on competing in the Commonwealth Games scheduled for 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. Her determination and talent make her a hopeful contender, with gymnasts worldwide eager to see her return to competition.