London: Olympic bronze medallist Nile Wilson has said that British gymnasts are still 'treated like pieces of meat' because of the culture that exists in the sport.
"I would absolutely describe it as a culture of abuse, and I have lived and breathed it for 20 years," Wilson said.
"It's emotional manipulation, being pushed through physical pain was certainly something I experienced. The gymnasts are still, in my opinion, treated like pieces of meat.
"I would say that I was abused. But we wanted to win Olympic medals - the governing body wanted to win Olympic medals, the coaches wanted to win Olympic medals."
The 24-year-old made history when he became the first Briton to win an Olympic medal on the horizontal bar at Rio 2016.
There have been many abuse allegations in British Gymnastics.
According to the British media, Leeds Gymnastics Club said it disputed Wilson's version of events and the allegations were "professionally" and "robustly" investigated, with the outcome independently verified.
The grievance did not relate to his training or coaching staff and, following an internal club investigation, it was dismissed - a decision upheld after a review by British Gymnastics.
“I was told and felt like I was the problem. It was evident it was pushed under the carpet,” he said.
“I just felt like I wasn’t being heard and I was wrong. The governing body and Leeds, they didn’t care at all. (I felt) completely worthless.”
Wilson also won five gold medals in the Commonwealth Games. He won three gold medals in the 2018 CWG and two in 2014.
