The Australian Volleyball Federation (AVF) on Thursday apologised for the physical and psychological abuse and coercive control its players suffered while training “in an atmosphere of fear” in Canberra between 1997 and 2005.
The apology comes after an independent report into the treatment of the players, including teenagers as young as 14, during their training at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
This report, published in 2022, revealed that athletes were subjected to “coercive control”, which included “the use of training as a method of punishment, verbal and physical abuse, favoritism, ostracism, excessive punishments and body shaming”.
“We deeply regret the effects that these experiences have had on the players’ lives and their relationship with volleyball,” said the AVF.
These bad practices, combined with the lack of care on the part of the coaches, also caused the volleyball players to distance themselves from their families, have low self-esteem and lose income, according to the federation’s statement.
Source: www.cmjornal.pt
