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Support for gymnasts
If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t . Speak to someone.
Gymnastics is a chance to have fun, learn skills and be with your friends.
If anyone stops you feeling safe and happy at gymnastics, you should talk to someone you trust who can help.
Problem behaviour – what is not OK?
Most people have a great time in gymnastics, but sometimes people might do things that make you or a friend feel unsafe or unhappy. This is not OK. Some of these things might include someone:
- Picking on you or bullying you (this could also be online or via text)
- Hitting you or hurting you
- Making comments about the way you look or speak
- Making racist, sexist or homophobic comments
- Getting you to be friends with them or to meet them or spend time with them when you don’t want to
These things are not OK, and you have the right to deal with them.
We expect everyone to treat other people with respect.
If you have any concerns about these behaviours please report them to your coach, Club welfare officer or parents. you can also let Welsh Gymnastics know by clicking on the report a concern button.
What is bullying?
Learning to understand and manage conflict is an important part of growing up. Bullying is not simply a ‘falling out’.
- hurtful
- repetition
- power imbalance
- intentional
Understanding bullying as a group behaviour – YouTube
Bullying behaviour can be:
- Physical – pushing, poking, kicking, hitting, biting, pinching etc.
- Verbal – name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, threats, teasing, belittling.
- Emotional – isolating others, tormenting, hiding books, threatening gestures, ridicule, humiliation, intimidating, excluding, manipulation and coercion.
- Sexual – unwanted physical contact, inappropriate touching, abusive comments, homophobic abuse, exposure to inappropriate films etc.
- Online /cyber – posting on social media, sharing photos, sending nasty text messages, social exclusion
- Indirect – Can include the exploitation of individuals.
If you are worried about being bullied, speak to your parents, coach, Club welfare officer. They will be able to help and support you
For more information about how to tackle bullying, contact Kidscape.
More information about help and support with bullying can be found on the Anti-Bullying Alliance website.
Keeping yourself safe online
The internet can be a brilliant thing to help you get information and find out different things. However sometimes people use it for different things, for wrong reasons and therefore it is important that you think about how you keep yourself safe whilst online.
Remember, if you ever feel like someone is forcing you to do something online that you are not comfortable with or worried about, please tell your parents, coach or club welfare officer.
Information to help you can be found on the CEOP Safety Centre Website.
If I’m worried, who can I talk to?
- It could be whoever looks after you at home, your coach, or someone else at your school or gymnastics club
- There is also a welfare officer at your club who is there to help – ask, or look for the posters, which tell you who that is
- Welsh Gymnastics has a Safeguarding Lead Officer to help you to stay safe and you can speak to our office about keeping safe on 029 2033 4978
- You can also contact us on safeguarding@welshgymnastics.org If you’d like us to call or email you back, just tell us how and when by reporting a concern.
- Childline give advice and support too and you can phone them on 0800 1111 (this number won’t appear on your phone bill).
Who else can help?
- For keeping safe on the internet, The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre has lots of info, with special sections for children and young people. If you have or have ever had a concern regarding someone on the internet or their behaviour towards you, you can make a report to CEOP.
- National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
- Anti-Bullying Alliance
- Young Minds can help with mental health and wellbeing