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Gymnastics Canada Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: Retired Canadian gymnast Amelia Cline has launched a class action lawsuit against several Canadian gymnastics federations.
- Why: Cline alleges officials from Gymnastics Canada failed to take action in response to numerous complaints of abuse by coaches.
- Where: The Gymnastics Canada class action lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
Retired Canadian gymnast Amelia Cline has filed a class action lawsuit alleging she suffered years of physical and mental abuse at the hands of her gymnastics coaches.
The Washington Post reports that Cline launched the Gymnastics Canada class action lawsuit last week against several Canadian gymnastics federations. She alleges Gymnastics Canada failed to act on complaints that athletes were being abused that allegedly date back as far as 1978.
“Numerous gymnasts across Canada have brought forward complaints spanning decades that detail their experiences of sexual, physical and psychological abuse and institutional complicity that has enabled the culture of mistreatment of gymnastics athletes to persist,” the Gymnastics Canada class action lawsuit states.
The gymnastics abuse class action lawsuit seeks punitive and aggravated damages, past and future medical expenses and an order requiring Gymnastics Canada and the provincial federations to adopt procedures to protect gymnasts’ physical and psychological health.
Gymnastics Canada Class Action Says Abuse Caused Stunted Growth, Anxiety
Cline, who competed in the early 2000s, says her career was harmed by coaches who encouraged her to compete while injured. As a result of the abuse she allegedly experienced, she says she suffered “stunted growth, anxiety, insomnia and nightmares.”
When she was 12 years old, Cline says her coach forcibly stretched her leg, causing her hamstring muscle to separate from the bone. She says she was diagnosed with an avulsion fracture.
Other injuries Cline allegedly suffered include a training-induced seizure; neck and back injuries; chronic knee pain; fractures in her hand, wrist, fingers and toes; and disordered eating.
“From the second you walk in [the gym], they tell you to trust them blindly, basically, and they say, ‘If I say you can do something, that means you can do it,’” Gymnast Cassidy Janzen says in the class action. “They ran their gym through fear.”
So far, 20 class members have reportedly joined the Gymnastics Canada class action lawsuit. Many of the athletes were children at the time of the abuse, according to the statement of claim.
Gymnasts Sign Open Letter Urging Independent Investigation of Abuse
Earlier this year, dozens of gymnasts sent an open letter to Sport Canada urging the organization to investigate the sport’s “toxic culture” of abuse.
“Many athletes who have experienced abuse suffer significant ongoing psychological and physical consequences, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders and chronic pain,” the letter says.
What do you think about the abuse allegations in the Gymnastics Canada class action lawsuit? Join the discussion in the comments section below!
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One thought on Gymnastics Canada Class Action Alleges Decades of Abuse
How does someone join this or sign the letter? I was an elite gymnast from 1971-81 in Ontario and suffered exactly this abuse. I would love to support this action.