Gymnastics Ontario has handed a Windsor coach a two-year suspension for allegedly yelling at athletes.
Gymnastics Ontario posted the suspension on its website.
The body that oversees gymnastics in the province commissioned an independent investigation almost a year ago after complaints from parents and athletes.
The organization placed Diane Deslippe under an immediate interim suspension on May 14, 2022, when it launched the investigation.
The statement from Gymnastics Ontario said Deslippe was accused of yelling at athletes and coaches. It said while pushing athletes hard is not a violation of the Gymnastics Ontario Codes of Conduct, aggressive coaching is.
"What is contrary to the Code is the abuses of power that manifest in yelling at athletes and coaches -- crying athletes, athlete reports of training through injury, and their fear of speaking up," said the statement. "It is important to note that several of the complainant witnesses, promising athletes and coaches, testified that the respondent's coaching led them to experience ongoing trauma and psychological harm."
Gymnastics Ontario said it has zero tolerance for harm to any participant.
"We are committed to supporting and listening to every individual who comes forward with a complaint," it said.
