While American gymnasts are kicking off the NCAA season with vigor, their German rivals are sweating it out over a dark reality that’s hit the sport. The only silver lining here perhaps is that- they are refusing to suffer in silence anymore. Thus, over the past few weeks, the women have one after the other struck darts at the German gymnastics authorities with their realistic stories. And now, another one follows suit.

The outburst started with gymnasts like Amelie Pfeil, Tabea Alt, Meolie Jauch, Catalina Santos-Moran Diaz, and Michelle Timm coming out to narrate their disturbing experiences. And now, in the first week of the new year, Pauline Schafer-Betz has joined the lot. But as the 28-year-old raised questions over the gymnastics authorities, a sea of fans stood right behind her, forming a concrete pillar.

Fight for change against German gymnastics intensifies

On January 7, Pauline Schafer-Betz added a post on her Instagram, a 1000+ words detailed statement regarding her troubling experience with the German gymnastics system. In the wake of other gymnasts stepping up, Schafer-Betz opened up about the repeated systemic failure, and narrated how it weighed heavily on her. “The current allegations from former national gymnasts about the conditions at the federal base in Stuttgart shock me deeply and bring back all my own experiences,” she wrote.

It took her straight to 2018 when her sister and she first tried to address the problematic conditions at the federal gymnastics base in Chemnitz. But all in vain. She disappointedly questioned, “What has changed? Nothing.” Her second attempt came in 2020, with 14 other gymnasts and coaches, but the structural deficits continued to exist. She even opened up on her fear that speaking up would see the end of her career. “I had to endure massive hostility and harassment,” she wrote.

What were some of her issues with the gymnastics system? She was barred from physiotherapy to pave the way for neutral treatment and deliberate attempts were made to snatch her training time and turn people against her. Well, how could one train optimally under such conditions? Thus, she called out, “Competitive sport is incredibly hard physically, emotionally, and mentally.” She even demanded, “There is an urgent need for action to ensure the protection of athletes.”

After all, “No success, no medal justifies the suffering of athletes.” And now, her words have won her the support of the entire gymnastics community. Fans are applauding her for being brave enough to speak. “It is super brave to go against a system on which your dream depends in a way. This is a strong character!” wrote one of them. Here’s what the other chimed in with!

Fans pat Pauline Schafer Betz’s back for her fearless words

Another fan took to the comment section and posted a moving reaction, “Silence is consent, so thank you for being brave enough to say it openly” they wrote. After all, it was about time that the German gymnasts made their disappointments public. Just over a week ago, the Olympic finalist from Rio, Tabea Alt, had voiced her pain after years of keeping shut. Reading the painful confession of how the gymnastics system forced her to compete despite multiple fractures sent shudders down the community’s spine!

Not just her, it was Catalina Santos Moran Diaz who confessed the concerns that forced her to quit the sport at just 18. Most of the time, she would mask that it was because of her ‘back’ that she left the mat. But she spoke the whole truth just recently. Catalina took to Instagram in December and narrated how she experienced physical and mental abuse and humiliation for years. She even developed an eating disorder!

Thus, another fan chimed in to hail Schafer Betz for speaking up, as there is nothing greater than the athlete’s mental and physical health in the sport. “Powerful statement. I really hope for all of you that something finally changes. In sports, the health of all athletes is paramount. In the future, every athlete has to be mentally and physically healthy again.” And this applies to the sport of gymnastics.

After all, we’ve seen in Tokyo how harrowing mental health challenges can be. When Simone Biles opened up on her ‘twisties’ she paved the way for more visibility towards the mental health issues of her entire gymnastics team. In fact, in 2024, Canadian gymnast Ellie Black had agreed on the same. She said, “As athletes, I think we’re just looked at as kind of like machines or you can handle anything or you should be able to handle anything, or no matter what it is, you’re going to push through it.” But that changed in America thanks to Biles.

And now, it’s Pauline Schafer Betz whose words have lent weight to this battle that the German gymnasts had been fighting. She’s asking the right questions at the right time. And given that she’s been brave enough to voice that performance and humanity must not contradict each other, another fan hailed her effort. “Thank you for having the courage to say what needs to be done: A sickening system needs to be changed. Not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow, but now!!!”

Yes, the sense of urgency is real and Pauline Schafer Betz knows it. She asks, ‘How many more athletes need to suffer before something changes?” Well, she has always been this headstrong about her thoughts. And a fan remembers how this started coming to the forefront in 2021. Because that’s when the German gymnastics team at the Tokyo Olympics stood up for the sport by wearing leotards stretched down to the ankle. It defied the custom that leotards in women’s gymnastics had to be a ‘certain’ type.

The fan commented, “You have set a great example by your walk out to the public. This started with the new tracksuits and continues to grow. Thank you for your courage and commitment!” Well, the fact that they had stood up in unison back then had worked and it has reaped benefits now too. On December 28, the German Gymnastics Federation addressed the rising concerns and promised an investigation. But the efficacy of such promises is highly questionable. Do you think the DTB will take an action soon? Let us know below!