Wow, a 50/50 split on this one. I said you were being reasonable, because it’s insane for anyone to actually believe the gymnasts have any kind of power/voice against the almighty Gymnastics Federation. I’m in the US (originally born in Czechia) and like many young girls, did gymnastics for six years (between the ages of 5-11). Even then my parents had reservations about it because while I have no idea whether I would have truly gone on to compete at an elite level, that was supposedly what I was working toward. I was awful on vault, my best event was uneven bars, then beam, floor was okay. But the coaches pushed us REALLY hard. I competed with girls that were a couple years older than me… not because I was exceptionally better than my own age group, but because I was virtually fearless and would try anything on my own to improve my routine - so my coach didn’t even have to worry about talking me into elements I felt uncomfortable with or unprepared for; I was already ready to go.
I don’t want to say the exact name of my coach or which gym I trained, although some who have been involved in gymnastics - either themselves at one point, or with their child, can probably figure it out - it was in Gainesville, FL, and my coach had coached a gold medal Olympic champion in the Atlanta Olympics. There were girls I knew who went to the Karolyi Ranch - I was not one of them.
Things were arguably a lot worse then, but still. My parents finally agreed together to pull me out (kicking and screaming basically) after my coach wanted me to do a vault that could have resulted in serious injury had I not gotten comfortable with it during a competition (no foam pit to land in then, hence why what Simone Biles did in 2020 truly was heroic).
I hate how they’ve called it the “twisties” because even though it’s what it’s called among gymnasts, to people not overly familiar with the sport and especially not the average viewer - adding “ies” as a suffix is a diminutive, and automatically makes it seem like some silly problem.
The reality, as most have discovered by now, is far worse. Yes, your mental state can get so distorted that you can’t get a feel for where you are after pushing off the vault once in the air. It’s not just a matter of “oops, I fell and I feel so embarrassed!”, it was literally a matter of “if I do this, I could very well land on my neck/head, thus irreversibly paralyzing myself.”
Look up Elena Mukhina of the former USSR who broke her neck - I believe on the floor exercise, after performing an element, the now banned Thomas Salto, which she had begged her coaches she wasn’t ready for, saying she was afraid she’d paralyze herself! They didn’t listen, and because she was an orphan under control of the state, no one was there to protect her.
It happened in 1980 during a training session for the Olympic trials. Her first words after hearing about her injury were “Thank God I don’t have to go to the Olympics now.” Of course that wasn’t ultimately what she’d wanted and was completely devastated by what happened, and so severely depressed as someone who’d spent her entire life training, tumbling, flipping, running, she was now unable to even use a pen. Really, what she felt at that time was, “thank god I’m not going to be pushed anymore into doing all these things that I long ago lost the passion for doing” (she’d beaten Nadia Comaneci, gymnastics’ golden girl).
I may have spelled the last name wrong but if you Google the other details (USSR, gymnast, paralyzed, Thomas Salto, Olympics) you’ll find it. The reason I’m bringing this entire incident up is because it wasn’t just Soviet style Olympics. That was how gymnastics had been in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s - throughout the world, and very much so in the US once we brought the Karolyis over to pick, train, and coach our Olympic team.
*If parents can’t stick around to watch their girls train, and you can’t even vocalise any concerns, let alone objections, to potentially life-threatening routines, does anyone really believe as a teenage or young adult gymnast, that you have any control over the other elements? No, those are required elements. Your leos have to meet certain requirements, your hair must always be up, of course, your makeup can be heavy but it must appear natural. Your nails can only be painted clear or in a French manicure, if you want to change anything minor you must first get the approval of your coach and then the officials of the hosting body.
The funny thing is, they always want the gymnasts to look carefree and happy during competitions, in a sport that for so long demanded the opposite in training - where joking around and having fun weren’t allowed, and training camp was run like a boot camp. A lot of that has begun to change thanks to gymnasts speaking up against Larry Nasser, as well as Simone Biles prioritizing mental health and safety over forcing yourself to do something you’re not comfortable with (then coming back after two years off even better!).
I don’t necessarily agree with the leos being too sexualized - they can’t compete in comfy pants or even shorts, really - they need all the free movement they can get with the lesser clothing. Notice how with women they have their arms and chest completely covered with their legs bare, but it’s the opposite with men - they wear very little on top, and can’t exactly wear leos because of - well, certain parts?
There probably is a more comfortable alternative out there, yet, for a sport that’s just beginning to see the gymnasts as people (young girls at that) rather than machines, there’s a long way to go from allowing them to say they’re not comfortable performing certain routines which may result in instant paralysis, to saying they’re not comfortable with the “artistic” aspect and how they’re supposed to look/act during the competition.