Volleyball Australia issues public apology on issues of body shaming and harsh training 

Volleyball Australia has issued a public apology over incidents of physical abuse and body-shaming that players had to go through between 1997 and 2005. Players, who were based at the Australian Institute of Sport before the Sydney Olympics and after the quadrennial event in 2000, were subjected to gruesome treatment through harsh training.

Retired players from the indoor women’s team had to bear the brunt of the inhuman treatment. Some of them, as young as 14 years old, were not spared either.

Volleyball Australia, in a statement, apologized for creating an “environment of fear” that led to players resorting to self-harm and substance abuse. The governing body also admitted that the volleyball players were not at fault.

“We are deeply sorry for the ongoing effects these experiences have had on your life and on your relationship with the sport of volleyball and with Volleyball Australia,” the statement read.

“We understand that your experiences amounted to coercive control, which included using training as a method of punishment, verbal and physical abuse, favoritism, ostracism, excessive punishments, and body-shaming. Some are living with ongoing effects. The fact that such a culture and environment could be established and maintained was wrong and is not the fault of athletes who were adversely impacted,” the statement added.

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Review finds Volleyball Australia guilty

Four years ago, athletes complained about the harsh treatment, after which Sports Integrity Australia, a government agency, conducted a review and investigated the matter thoroughly. In the review, a “culture of fear and punishment” was found. It was established that athletes did not get enough support, and coaches refused to take responsibility for their actions.

In an interview with ABC, a former player, on conditions of anonymity, said that players were belittled and called “weak” by coaches. The player said that it was a challenging task for players to survive in the toxic environment.