Volleyball Australia issued a public apology on Thursday for creating an “environment of fear” that led to some players indulging in self-harm while some turned to substance abuse. The apology comes after years of lasting impacts from the toxic environment experienced by former athletes.
The sports body acknowledged that former athletes of the Australian indoor women’s team, some as young as 14, had to undergo body shaming and harsh training. These incidents occurred between 1997 and 2005 when the athletes were based at the Australian Institute of Sport leading up to and after the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
“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 said. “We understand that your experiences amounted to coercive control, which included using training as a method of punishment, verbal and physical abuse, favouritism, ostracism, excessive punishments, and body-shaming.”
The statement followed a review by government agency Sport Integrity Australia following complaints by athletes four years ago. The review found a “culture of fear and punishment”, lack of coach accountability and limited athlete support at the time.
Volleyball Australia noted that players had struggled with the physical and mental effects of their experiences, including self-harm, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and substance abuse. “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,” it added.
A former player, who did not want to be named, told broadcaster ABC that “training became punishment”. “We were belittled and called ‘weak’, ‘pathetic’, and ‘useless’ by coaches and accused of ‘making excuses’ when we were in fact injured,” she said. “It was an environment where no athlete could thrive, and some were broken and driven out of the programme.”
