Having worked as the head coach of the Finnish rhythmic gymnastics national team Laura Ahonen and another coach is suspected of having acted inappropriately towards young, even minor, national team gymnasts for years. The gymnasts interviewed by Urheilu talked about humiliation, bullying, health problems and being forced to lose weight.
Read more: The former head coach of the Finnish national team is suspected of years of improper activity – gymnasts report constant dieting and eating disorders
Chief physician of the Olympic Committee Maarit Valtonen replies that his first reaction to the news was that such methods of operation do not belong in Finnish sports.
– The fear and anxiety that the athletes described is not acceptable in any sport, in any age group, and at any level.
– In elite sports, mental and physical limits are sought. Sports must be a place where it is safe to push those limits. Clearly, in this situation, there has been a failure in creating security.
The limits have now been drastically exceeded
The national team athletes said that their everyday life changed a few months after the team was assembled at the end of 2016. According to the gymnasts, the exercises were no longer a sport but survival. The athletes told about their head coach’s methods, which according to them have included humiliating and pressuring them to lose weight.
– I had to photograph everything I ate and drank. “If you get a chocolate bar from your grandfather, you take a picture before it goes into your mouth,” said Laura. I asked if I also take pictures when I drink water. Yes, everything, was the answer, for example one gymnast said.
According to the athletes, this led to long-term health problems, eating disorders and depression.
– Our athletes are fundamentally healthy. When a person seeks load physiological limits, the endurance limits of the body and mind can be exceeded, causing symptoms and injuries. In sports, both in terms of coaching and sports medicine, we have to make sure that the limits are not crossed so strongly. Sports shouldn’t cause any permanent, long-term health problems, says Valtonen.
Who is responsible?
– All of us. Of course, there are different roles. The coach works closest to the athlete, so the coach’s work is the most central and visible. The rest of us who work in the athlete’s everyday life must support the coach’s success in his work and responsibility.
What is the role of the Olympic Committee?
– Yes, we are also responsible for this when our athletes are not feeling well. This responsibility must be borne together with the species. It is a wonderful thing that we are able to work openly with sports associations. for the change of coaching culture. The work is sometimes too slow, but we help and support when the sport is facing challenges, as it is now, Valtonen stated.
CEO of the Olympic Committee Taina Susiluoto stated that it is important that every issue that comes up is investigated and that the necessary means are found.
Susiluoto says that he has thought on a general level that gymnastics is one of the sports where an international sports discussion needs to be held, which are responsible ways in relation to age and competition criteria.
– When dealing with young people and children, every adult has an important responsibility to ensure that children and young people have a healthy and safe environment to compete and play sports. Every suspicion that things are not like this is important to investigate, deal with and act accordingly.
Below you can listen to how Taina Susiluoto comments on the case and the ongoing disciplinary process.
The situation of gymnasts is not comparable to that of 25-30 year olds
Valtonen himself was a background person in the rhythmic gymnastics national team for a few years. In the summer of 2021, there was a discussion on the topic, in which the Gymnastics Federation, the Capital Region’s Sports Academy Urhea and the Finnish Olympic Committee, including Valtonen, participated.
– The challenge of rhythmic gymnastics is the same as in many aesthetic and early specialization sports. The peak stage is reached at a very young age.
– The pursuit of limits that I described earlier is a little different when it comes to elite athletes aged 25–30. But when the peak phase is already reached as a minor, then the responsibility of us adults is really greater. There has been this open discussion between the coaching staff and the experts, we have been together on these issues, answers Valtonen.
A three-year study is underway at the University of Jyväskylä and the Institute of Elite Sports, Kihu, to investigate the nutrition and energy availability of athletes and their effects on health and performance. Too little energy intake affects several organ systems and has been shown to lead to decreased performance and health problems.
All the gymnasts previously interviewed by Urheilu were minors when they started on the national team.
– The starting point for young athletes should be the peace of growth and development. Children and young people do not lose weight to improve their performance, and this peace must be respected by every adult involved in sports. It should be noted that in adult elite athletes weight optimization can potentially achieve a performance benefit, but the long-term health disadvantages can also be considerable for them, Valtonen told about the study on Kihu’s website (you will switch to another service).
According to the announcement made by the gymnastics association for disciplinary purposes, the head coach had made inappropriate and continuous comments about the weight and appearance of the gymnasts. The gymnasts said that the athletes who were caught by the coach were sometimes weighed even every other day. According to the federation’s announcement, a diet of 1400 kcal or 1600 kcal was recommended for some of the gymnasts.
1,400 kilocalories roughly corresponds to the energy needs of a 4-year-old active, 17-kilogram girl. According to the Food Agency, the reference energy requirement for girls aged 14–17 is 2,340 kcal/day.
According to the Terveurheilija.fi website, athletes who train a lot can consume 2,500–6,000 kcal per day, depending on the athlete’s size, age, gender and sport, as well as the training season, intensity and number of hours. The rhythmic gymnastics national team has been training for about 30 hours a week.
Valtonen demands a strong update of the press release
Valtonen wrote on Monday A blog post on Kihu’s page (you will switch to another service), in which he demanded “an update of the press release from everyone”. Valtonen said that when he returned to Finland from North America as a high school student in 1994, it was made clear that the accumulated kilos were slowing down.
– Worked with the instruction “eat less than you spend”. Who would want to carry an extra can of milk with them when chasing district championships. The means to reach the target weight were simple and missed periods were a good indicator for monitoring progress, Valtonen wrote.
According to Valtonen, the era was different, and there was no knowledge of risks or long-term effects.
– But today we know better. We are now living in 2022, and there is no longer any reason for the voices of past decades to still be shouting, Valtonen insisted in his text.
According to research, 25 percent of Finnish female athletes limit their eating and 7–15 percent have an eating disorder. Valtonen demanded to break the chain of harmful press talk, because the health effects are long-term or permanent in the worst case.
– The permitted weight and food speech in 2022 is different from past decades and there are strong reasons for it. The justifications can be found in humanity, performance and health, but above all in the fact that young people should have peace to grow and develop without the distorted and outdated ideas about weight carried by adults, Valtonen stated in his blog.
Ethics at the top level of rhythmic gymnastics?
What kind of example is rhythmic gymnastics of old-time thought patterns?
– The challenge comes because of age, when the demands rise so high at such a young age. The sport is also very appearance-oriented. What that young woman looks like becomes so hugely visible and in the judging criteria. It makes the sport challenging in terms of press coverage. It is extremely important that the issue is recognized and the pressure for cultural change is strong.
You have sometimes said that Finland is a Western country, referring to training methods that are too hard.
Will the status of the species be reassessed?
– We have to meet the international level of requirements and push for change according to our values. We have to work diligently to ensure that Nordic and Western values are reflected in the International Gymnastics Federation.