"Abuse of power in women's gymnastics - success at any price?"

Mainz (ots) - SWR Story takes a critical look at the present: Will a reform of gymnastics succeed? / on September 18, 2025, at 9 p.m. on SWR and now in the ARD Mediathek (https://1.ard.de/machtmissbrauch_im_frauenturnsport). German women's gymnastics is in shock: Former gymnasts paint a shocking picture. Behind the scenes, athletes experienced psychological and physical violence. Coaches and officials maintained the system for years. The documentary "Abuse of Power in Women's Gymnastics - Success at Any Price?" takes a critical look at the present: How is the German Gymnastics Federation responding to the allegations? Will it be possible to fundamentally reform gymnastics this time? On September 18, 2025, at 9 p.m. on SWR and now in the ARD Mediathek (https://1.ard.de/machtmissbrauch_im_frauenturnsport). A personal journey into the abyss of gymnastics

Journalist and former national team gymnast Pauline Tratz embarks on a personal search for clues. She travels back to her former workplace, meets former colleagues, coaches, and experts. She seeks to understand how deeply rooted the structures of power abuse are in gymnastics. In intensive conversations with former Olympic gymnast Janine Berger, it becomes clear how high the price of athletic success can be – psychologically, physically, and personally. The question arises: How could such a system have persisted for so long?

Abuse, Power, Medals. Using archive footage and exclusive interviews, the documentary reveals how the pursuit of medals and international prestige pushed the health and dignity of young athletes into the background. The German Gymnastics Federation (DTB), Germany's second-largest elite sports association with around five million members, is under fire. The Stuttgart Artistic Gymnastics Forum is considered the center of the scandal. Prominent gymnasts like Elisabeth Seitz trained there. She, too, experienced the dark side of a system geared toward "success at any price." "Performance with Respect." The SWR story not only examines the problems but also seeks solutions. Pauline Tratz accompanies a young gymnast to her first German championships. How are the young athletes dealing with the scandal? Can the motto "Performance with Respect" chosen by the German Gymnastics Federation be successful? Accompanied by personal stories, emotional flashbacks, and intense confrontations, the SWR story "Success at any price?" by Pauline Tratz and Claus Hanischdörfer impressively demonstrates how closely success, power, and abuse are intertwined in elite sports – and what consequences this has for those affected. Can such scandals be prevented in the future? The documentary will air on September 18, 2025, at 9 p.m. on SWR and is now available in the ARD Mediathek (https://1.ard.de/machtmissbrauch_im_frauenturnsport). Press photos are available for download at ARD-foto.de. Newsletter: "SWR vernetzt" (https://www.swr.de/unternehmen/kommunikation/newsletter-anmeldung-swr-vernetzt-100.html). Press contact: Marissa Leister, Tel. +49 6131 929 32743, [email protected]. Original content from: SWR - Südwestrundfunk, transmitted by news aktuell. Original report: https://www.presseportal.de/pm/7169/6119918