Gymnastics Abuse Alleged

Parents of several Australian female gymnasts have accused the country’s head coach of mistreating the athletes, prompting the federal government to set up an investigation into the claims.

The parents say Chinese-born coach Ju Ping Tian punished the girls if they put on weight, and said the girls were kicked, smacked and forced to run fully clothed in a sauna if they received unsatisfactory competition scores.

Ju Ping denied the allegations and said none of the female gymnasts in her program was unhappy.

Jim Ferguson, executive-director of the Australian Sports Commission, said the accusations may be racially motivated.