“I only remained for a brief time in the garden above what was once the basement of horror, but it was long enough for me to retrieve what I needed. Together, the part of me that had been left in the basement for so long and I drove to the beach, where I threw every gymnastics medal I had ever won, one by one, into the water, accompanied by sobs that had only just started to properly emerge.
I never desired to see them again. I never viewed them in any case. They were severely discolored. I required no additional reminders of that period in my existence.”
It took Emma Webb (not her real name) forty years to speak openly about the alleged abuse that has crippled her for the majority of her 52 years. She says the abuse began shortly after she began elementary school and continued until she was 12 years old when she escaped her alleged abusers.
She claims that her experience has caused her to spend years battling complicated post-traumatic stress disorder and tens of thousands of pounds on therapy. Webb has made contact with other alleged victims of the same individual.
According to her, they support one another and are in contact with other gymnastics abuse victims from around the globe. Webb is prepared to speak, but she is also not. She avoids discussing the specifics of the alleged mistreatment she endured. She approaches and then retreats.
Why one alleged sexual abuse victim is coming out against gymnastics
In 1993, it was the same when she shared her experience with the police, who were called in after she told an art therapist she was working with and then her consultant and therapy team about the alleged abuse.
At the time, she was 22 years old and residing in a London eating disorder facility. She could initially only respond with head shakes and nods to a barrage of questions before the full scope of what she claims occurred was revealed.
In our interview, she fights not to dissociate, as she has numerous times in the past four decades. She claims that she has been unable to move on and truly flee, as there are triggers everywhere that transport her back to a warehouse basement in Poole.
For me, being triggered can be as simple as traveling down Ashley Road, hearing the words gymnastics, Olympics, Olga, or smelling a sports center,” she says. “I cannot even look at a Dairy Milk bar of chocolate. Because that was what I was handed. In this manner, I was honored. “Seeing the purple wrapper on a Cadbury’s bar… can you fathom how difficult life can be at times?”
Webb has decided to share her experience now, after all these years because her engagement with the Sport England and UK Sport co-commissioned Whyte review into allegations of abuse in gymnastics last year left her feeling frustrated and retraumatized, she says.
When she first learned about the review, she was relieved that something was finally being done. Webb provided information about her experience, but the period did not fall within the 2008-2020 scope. However, the review requested that British Gymnastics investigate the substance of her submission.
British Gymnastics
Webb’s experience with British Gymnastics, which she says took months to address her concerns after she was informed by the British Athletes Commission that they had been made aware of them, has been of an organization overwhelmed by the volume of allegations and investigations required, which she says initially did not take her seriously and in which she has no faith can support those who report sexual abuse allegations.
She believed, however, that the publication of the Whyte review itself validated her experiences. While the vast majority of complaints concerned physical and mental abuse, thirty claims of sexual abuse were included in the review. “Nothing in the report surprised me; I already understood everything I read.” “What is sad is that I believed that to be typical throughout my entire childhood.”
Webb, who is currently writing a memoir about the alleged abuses she and others endured, was born in 1970. Four years before her birth, magistrates in Blaydon, near Gateshead, cleared her accused abuser, Brian Phelps, of exposure.
The former Olympic diver, who earned bronze at the 1960 Rome Games and gold at the 1962 and 1966 Commonwealth Games, allegedly exposed himself to a 14-year-old girl and her friends at the Dunston leisure center at the age of 22. Phelps was married to Monica Rutherford, a British athlete.
His defense attorney claimed that “the verdict could have fatal consequences for a man who has devoted his life to diving. It will have an impact on his job, but not on his marriage.”
Phelps and his wife relocated to Dorset and established the Olga Gymnastics and Trampolining Club in Poole’s Lagland Street and Ashley Road.
“In this warehouse’s basement, which was decorated to host parties and other events, the worst abuse occurred,” adds Webb. “It was a horrifying cellar. The stone walls were coated white, and there was always a very distinct odor.
They named the basement Happyland, and it was decorated with Disney, cartoon, and television characters, including those from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The Happyland name was painted in arched red letters on a white wall, Disneyland-style, in a child-friendly typeface. Webb states that she still struggles with the meaning of that picture.
“Disney and children’s television characters, such as Wonder Woman, decorated the walls of the party basement, where I felt helpless to battle. I used to simply observe and tally them, then occasionally give them names – Snow White, the Dwarfs, the birds… I would flee with them into their fantasy and wait for my nightmare to end.” Both Brian and Monica Phelps deny the claims vehemently. Monica Phelps claimed in a statement, “There is no basis for the personal accusations made.”
Webb adds, “The molestation of Phelps began very, very, very early on.” After the vault, within the abyss. They had constructed this enormous foam pool, and events transpired there. Being placed on the bars, asymmetric bars, and during trampoline exercises, he was solely responsible.
Monica was obsessed with female bodies, and the dynamic between the two of them was always profoundly disturbing. However, I do not recall ever having been molested or anything by her. His favorites were not hers, nor were they hers.
“Weighing was also performed frequently. And I didn’t like it. I was nothing, I was extremely small, and the weighing was continuous.
“Therefore, my earliest memories involve disliking it. I recall being in considerable physical pain. And bizarrely, it sounds quite insane, but when you’re a child you don’t know any better, I felt compelled to constantly improve because I believed that if I did, it would not be so bad. I have no idea why I believed that, but I did. Therefore, I improved as much as possible and went at least three times per week.”
She says the better she got, the harder it was to leave. “By the time I joined the elite squad, I could not leave,” she adds. “I had not realized that was how the situation was unfolding. The more I improved, the more my folks admired me. My folks had a fierce competitive spirit. My father was very wealthy, a misogynist who got along well with Brian Phelps, and my mother was sort of living vicariously through me. This is a matter of retrospect, but I did not enjoy my time at home. And it was never a location where I could say, “Something doesn’t feel right here.”
She claims that when she requested to leave, she was accused of being ungrateful and of wasting the time and money invested in her gymnastics. “However, I never explained why; I simply stated that I didn’t like it. I never delved into details. Because I wasn’t permitted to discuss it. But by the time I was 12 years old, the situation was beyond awful.”
How did I not realize that was wrong?
As a member of the elite squad, she says she was subjected to regular one-on-one sessions during which she was raped “very, very frequently.” She continues, “You feel incredibly stupid, because when I look back, I wonder, ‘How did I not realize that was wrong?’ I realized the sexual aspect was incorrect.
And when I eventually began my period at age 12, I feared I would become pregnant. What do I do?’ Then I simply declined to return. I categorically declined. My folks were incensed. “We’ve put all of this money into you, you’re so talented. You’re throwing away everything, you’re throwing away your life, etc., but I was preserving my life.
“I was repeatedly informed I could never have children. Recent hospitalization for an emergency hysterectomy, which lasted seven hours through the night, prompted the doctor to inquire about my MRI: “Have you ever experienced significant trauma? How on earth you were able to conceive a pregnancy, carry it to term, and give birth to a kid is beyond our comprehension.'”
Brian Phelps told that he had only visited the basement once before it became a party venue, and he questioned why Webb and others had not come forward in 2008, when a child protection team sought out “lots of children who were closely associated with me through sport, looking for victims who had slipped through the net’ with no response.” Monica Phelps did not scale any of the gymnasts while at Ashley Road, according to the statement.
Ten years after leaving Olga
At age 22, ten years after leaving Olga, Webb claims that she claimed abuse experience poured out to her art therapist. She had been anorexic for the majority of the decade, resulting in her admission to the eating disorder section. She states, “I still battle when I’m extremely triggered. And it’s not about weight management or anything else. It’s more about oral trauma and not being able to physically put solid food in my mouth. I doubt that will ever disappear.”
After relating her Olga experience, a police liaison called in and advised her to press charges. “My initial response was, ‘No, I do not wish to. I can’t confront him. I do not wish to ever see him again. Any one of them. I cannot bear to endure it.’ They could not tolerate my becoming slimmer. Therefore, they honored my desires.”
Phelps was arrested in 2008 and accused of sexually abusing three girls beginning in the mid-1970s, with the first victim coming forward in 2003. He admitted to 11 counts of indecent assault and eight counts of indecency against one of the girls between the ages of six and fifteen, pled guilty to 10 counts of indecent assault and eight counts of indecency against a second girl between the ages of six and fourteen, and pled guilty to four counts of indecent assault and one count of indecency against a third girl between the ages of nine and twelve.
Bournemouth Daily Echo
The bournemouth crown court accepted Phelps’s claims of four counts of rape and one count of attempted rape. According to the Bournemouth Daily Echo, he admitted to officers that he had struggled with the strain of his early success and that he was “a high-caliber sportsman” and “an awesome character.” According to reports, Phelps has characterized himself as “a bit of a sex addict.”
Iain Ross, an attorney for the defense, stated, “He considers this time of his life to be very embarrassing.” Approximately twenty years after these occurrences, he worked without fault.”
According to the report, Phelps informed investigators that the girls never said “no” or “stop.” Six years of his nine-year sentence were completed.
“I pleaded guilty to all charges except two, and my plea was accepted,” Phelps told. Because of the nature of my crimes. I will forever be a target for shaming by anyone who decides to do so.”
Webb says she reported the abuse to the police and council in 1993 after telling her art therapist.
In 1997, Poole became independent from the county government of Dorset; in 2019, it will merge with Bournemouth and Christchurch. A spokesperson for the councils of Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole stated, “We are fully aware that these crimes and accusations continue to resonate many years later.”
“Borough of Poole ceased to exist in 2019, and we are unable to comment on any historical statements they may have made.”
According to Webb, “I was completely horrified when the news broke in 2008. I hurled up. I said to my friend: ‘Oh my goodness, no. He has done this to others. However, I’m uncertain of what else I could have done. I did not conceal how awful 1993 was. I did not conceal the location within the structure. And I did not conceal what had transpired there. Therefore, I believe I provided them with sufficient information to perform their duties, but they chose not to because children are not credible witnesses. This is extremely destructive, which is why individuals remain silent.”
The Metropolitan police stated they were unable to comment on the claimed incident. The force stated in a statement, “We treat all reports of abuse, whether recent or not, extremely seriously. Officers with specialized training will assist victim-survivors, and we will pursue justice for them whenever possible. “Measures are being made to restore victims’ confidence in the Met so that they can confidently report crimes,”
The Olga fitness center continues to run under new management with no ties to Brian or Monica Phelps. British Gymnastics-affiliated Everyone Active gym in council-owned facility is secure.
Webb complained to British Gymnastics and the council last year about the gym’s continued use of the Olga name in light of past real and alleged abuse, stating that she felt traumatized because “Olga is expanding and constructing new satellite Olgas around me.” Her plea has been granted at this time.
British Gymnastics issued the following statement
“Our sport has been abused, and we will continue to apologise publicly and personally. This case involves allegations of historical abuse and a person convicted and imprisoned for historical offenses connected to these allegations”.
Through British Gymnastics’ expanded and highly qualified safeguarding team, we have and continue to provide extensive, direct support to the individual gymnast in this instance, including working closely with the leisure operator to enable the name change of the club. Over the course of several months, this support has consisted of a significant number of hours of devoted one-on-one support through online sessions, phone calls, in-person visits, emails, and messages.
“Our Reform ’25 action plan, published last year, outlines how we have learned from the past and the major changes we will adopt over the next two years to transform gymnastics now and in the future, including the development of restorative support.”
BCP Council and Everyone Active stated in a joint statement, “Olga Poole has a long legacy. But also a past that continues to have negative repercussions for some of its former members decades later.
“We have worked closely with British Gymnastics to enable the name change of the club to Poole Gymnastics & Trampolining Club. We are collaborating closely with all parties to ensure a seamless transfer.”
Gymnasts for Change, a group formed to support athlete welfare in the aftermath of claims of mistreatment, agrees with Webb’s assessment that British Gymnastics needs to do more. “Gymnasts for Change believes that testimonies are significant and will encourage other current and former gymnasts to disclose their own experiences of abuse. Without accounts, the sport can not reform.
Gymnasts for Change
“Even now, following the Whyte review, Gymnasts for Change believe that British Gymnastics has not truly engaged in transforming coaching cultures and has, on occasion, continued to disregard gymnasts’ critical testimony.
“British Gymnastics is failing to learn from its past errors despite the damning Whyte review. Because it labels abuse as ‘historical’ and, therefore, irrelevant to current cultural safeguarding concerns within the sport. This does not encourage gymnastics abuse victims to disclose physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
“A mandatory reporting legislation is urgently needed to overcome people’s reluctance to report recognized indicators of abuse'”
Webb, who claims that she has had to pay for all of her therapy, claims that she knows of others whose lives have been ruined by the alleged abuse at the Phelps-run Olga and in other gyms around the globe. She states, “My abuse is constantly described as historic, but the ongoing trauma is not historic.”
“I have been badly damaged, but a tiny little flame never went extinguished. There was a portion of me that maintained a healthy degree of resistance. It is primarily hoped that keeps me going, hope that British Gymnastics will be held accountable for all of their past and present failings and help gymnasts so damaged under their watch come to terms with the abuses they suffered.
