Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam: They don't want any more children

The haunting cowbells that Swiss fans traditionally ring to cheer them on could not be ignored when the men's team final, the most exciting competition of the World Gymnastics Championships, was on the program in Rotterdam last week. In the end, the Alpine republic took fifth place, over one point ahead of the Americans, who were considered medal candidates. The Germans were not there, Japan secured gold ahead of Russia and China.

“Sensational,” said David Huser, head of the Olympic Mission department at the Swiss Gymnastics Association (STV): “Beating the USA, I think that’s wonderful.” He is equally pleased with the women's team's result, 14th place in the qualification and thus the best result since 1983: "Yes, excellent." Despite these results, Huser will not be exuberant: his motto is to be realistic and “keep the ball a little flat”.

Like its large neighbor Germany, Switzerland was also shaken by a worldwide wave of revelations of massive abuse of power in gymnastics. In the “Magglingen Protocols” – the title of the journalistic research that Das Magazin published in October 2020 – gymnasts described their experiences. The association drew conclusions and fired coaches and officials.

Then David Huser, previously top sports director in the Aargau Gymnastics Association, got his job and has been working on a new beginning with his team for around five years. When asked about the three most important measures taken in an interview at the end of September, the 39-year-old replied that it was all about "values": "Firstly, the focus is on the athlete. We only do it for them, we don't do it for officials or anyone else. Secondly, the way we deal with people. These two things are crucial. And thirdly, the individual treatment."

That sounds good, and definitely true. There has never been a lack of well-sounding statements from those responsible over the past ten years - in 2016, the abuse by the American team doctor Larry Nassar became public. In fact, the STV can come up with a whole range of measures.

This includes a new structure for the decentralized base system: A label system with five modules - ethics and integrity, management, training operations in the broad sense, the environment and success - was developed. Success comes at the end, “because we are convinced that success is not something that comes first, but rather something that is the consequence of the system,” says David Huser.

Depending on how well the bases meet the specified quality criteria for each module, they receive the bronze, silver or gold label - and corresponding financial benefits. In addition, the squad and thus the individual support structure was revised: The squad for nine and ten year olds was completely canceled; from the association's point of view, this was “far too early and not necessary,” explains David Huser. The U18 transition squad has been reinvented: athletes who are accepted here remain in this support level for three years without having to provide proof of success.

The aim is to reduce the pressure in the crucial pubertal development phase: “We want to give you time to develop,” is the message. There is a basic belief behind this, says Huser: "We want to see women internationally who take part in the Olympic Games and not girls or children; women who independently stand up for their project." Accordingly, Magglingen, the only centralized training location in Switzerland, only accepts gymnasts who are at least 18 years old.

He experienced “a lot of headwind” in response to the innovations, namely “from the system,” said the top sports director in an interview, i.e. from trainers, referees and officials who have followed their convictions for decades. Belief in innovations only comes with success. Well, after the results, David Huser in Rotterdam says: “You might slowly start to believe in something and that’s very nice.”