UK Sport and Sport England have today announced plans to co-commission a review into allegations of abuse in gymnastics, with the British Athlete Commission also setting up a confidential helpline to provide a “safe place” for athletes to report.

The sporting bodies have stepped in after British Gymnastics reversed their own decision to organise a QC-led independent review, following criticism from athletes last week who voiced distrust with the national governing body’s involvement.  

“It is vital the review is unequivocally independent with full resources to effectively deal with concerns raised by gymnasts,” BG’s CEO Jane Allen said in a statement. “In the past week, the complexities have increased, and it is clear to retain the trust of the gymnastics community we have decided to recuse ourselves from any management of the review. Our priority is to learn the lessons and ensure the welfare of all those within gymnastics. By stepping aside, we hope the Review can now proceed unimpeded.”

BG has been overwhelmed by accusations of a “culture of fear” in the sport, which included emotional and physical abuse from coaches. Last week current British world class programme gymnasts Becky and Ellie Downie described fat shaming and a “normalised” abusive environment they had experienced at elite level, and other former Team GB Olympians have called for Allen to step down.

UK Sport and Sport England’s intervention intends to inspire confidence for athletes who accuse their national governing body of failures in duty of care.

“UK Sport and Sport England welcome and support the decision of British Gymnastics to step aside from the review it announced last week and have agreed to co-commission a fully independent review into the serious concerns raised by gymnasts,” UK Sport’s statement said.

“We are working closely with key stakeholders, including the British Athletes Commission (BAC) and the Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU), to develop the terms of reference and the structure of the review to ensure it has credibility and the confidence of all of those who have had the courage to come forward.

“Our immediate priority is to provide support for all those affected by these allegations. We are working with the BAC as it finalises its plans to assist gymnasts and others who have been impacted to raise their concerns and take part in the review.”

British Gymnastics has encouraged athletes with concerns to contact its Integrity Unit. Additionally, the BAC’s helpline, run jointly with the NSPCC and available from July 20, will be dedicated to providing support for gymnasts with abuse claims.

“It was gut-wrenching to see these utterly disgraceful allegations be made public and concerning not just athletes, but young children,” BAC board member Peter Crowther told the BBC. “This is likely to be one of the more in-depth and broad-ranging situations we’ve faced, but unfortunately we’ve dealt with many situations of alleged abuse… across many sports.”

The NSPCC last set up a similar dedicated helpline in 2016, when it launched its sexual abuse support for footballers.