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Amy Tinkler produces emails from national gymnastics coach referring to her as a “fat dwarf”

Amy Tinkler - PA
Amy Tinkler - PA

British Gymnastics has launched an investigation after Amy Tinkler revealed emails that show a national coach referring to her as a “fat dwarf” in fresh weight-shaming allegations.

The Olympic bronze medallist had warned on Tuesday that she intended to publish details of her correspondence with the national governing body, alleging it had lied to her after dropping her complaint in March.

The February 2017 email chain she posted to social media includes national coach Colin Still, who remains in the role, speaking with team nutritionist Mhairi Keil following a performance camp in Lilleshall. Still responded to Keil’s largely positive update on Tinkler’s progress by suggesting the gymnast “already looks a little heavy”, and later said: “Thanks Mhairi, I will get back to my skiing knowing that Amy is not turning into a fat dwarf!!”

Tinkler described how the comments left her feeling “sick” and brought back already sensitive issues around her weight.

“My weight has been a sensitive issue since I was 13 years old, with the national coaches always mentioning it as a problem,” Tinkler said in a social media post. “It was the second email that really made me cry. Colin called me a ‘fat dwarf’. I just sat there crying. Why would he say that? What have I done for him to be that mean to me?”

Tinkler, who said she received no apology from Still, added: “I hate doing this in public. It’s unfair on me, and on the people I’m going to talk about, but I don’t see that I’ve been given any other choice. What’s the point in doing the right thing, following guidelines, to just be lied to, misled and dismissed. The top people at British Gymnastics haven’t shown any empathy or desire to acknowledge change, so it’s time their behaviour is shared in public.”

Earlier this month, the English Institute of Sport rejected a complaint about weight-shaming from Tinkler’s Rio team-mate Ellie Downie.

In response to Tinkler’s post, a British Gymnastics spokesman said: “This is extremely worrying. A coach should not be speaking this way about a gymnast. We have immediately begun an investigation into this matter.

“We have contacted Amy Tinkler to ask for the original emails from 2017 and other relevant information to aid that investigation. We have checked all available records and cannot find reference that we have previously had a complaint about these comments.”