Anna Levandi being investigated for abusive coaching practices ("it's not really just her, but the whole system")

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Well, people were assuming that Estonia only had 1 spot for Worlds but they have two. One has to presume that Niina will be named to the team regardless of how her recovery is going. And I'd guess that Eva-Lotta would get the 2nd spot if she can earn the SP TES min but she was pretty far off at the one comp she had earlier this month, so I expect it to go to either Lisovskaja or Langerbaur, neither of whom are going to bump Amber into a lower group, lol.

Cool and I had just re-edited my post above. I said, I think you were even one of the people who was explaining Amber’s start order to me a few weeks ago, depending on Estonia‘s entrant.

Anyway, back onto the topic at hand… gross and disgusting coaches out in the world today. Can you believe it?

 

[Karen-W]

Cool and I had just re-edited my post above. I said, I think you were even one of the people who was explaining Amber’s start order to me a few weeks ago, depending on Estonia‘s entrant.

Anyway, back onto the topic at hand… gross and disgusting coaches out in the world today. Can you believe it?

Well, a few weeks ago I didn't have any reason to think that Niina was a guarantee for Worlds. She did okay at Tallink Hotels Cup last weekend, better than any other Estonian woman, so there's now reason to think she will definitely be at Worlds.

 

[Sylvia]

2 related Estonian articles and some machine translated excerpts:

According to experts, sports ethics need to be talked about more in society (Feb. 25):

Asjatundjate sõnul tuleb spordieetikast ühiskonnas rohkem rääkida

Sel nädalal lahvatanud iluuisutamistreeneri Anna Levandi skandaal pani inimesed taas arutlema treeningmeetodite ja treeneritöö eetiliste piiride üle spordis. Kuna treenerite töös on niivõrd palju aspekte, millega arvestada, ütlevad asjatundjad, et spordieetikast tuleks ühiskonnas rohkem rääkida.

www.err.ee

The scandal of figure skating coach Anna Levandi, which broke out this week, made people once again discuss training methods and the ethical limits of coaching in sports. Since there are so many aspects to consider in the work of coaches, experts say that sports ethics should be talked about more in society.
Several stories in which athletes have accused coaches of abuse have unfolded in the public eye in the recent past. However, this does not mean that there was less abuse in the past, society is simply more aware now.
"Really, people aren't willing to put up with as much as maybe they used to put up with, they express their protest more easily. Just because in the past you didn't dare to express that I don't like the coach yelling at me, that doesn't mean it's didn't bother me," said sports psychologist Aave Hannus.

Abuse occurs more precisely in top sports, because an athlete oriented to his dream is willing to tolerate more. Hard motivation is often good, so to speak, because a person can pull himself together more easily under fear. On the other hand, it does not bring good results in the long term. Where is the limit?
"It is psychological abuse when it is such a predictable pattern - for example, the athlete already knows in which situations the coach becomes sarcastic, in which situations I can punish. Then we talk about abuse," explained Hannus.
Kerde confirmed that the coach must not threaten or harass the athlete in order to motivate him.
"The fact that it has worked once, twice, the third time may not work anymore is because every person understands that violence is being used on them," said Kerde.

All experts say that sports ethics should be talked about more in society and not only when something monstrous has happened. A lot could also be done in the coaching education system by offering more pedagogy classes. And just like in any relationship, sometimes you just need to apologize in sports.
"This mentality today, certainly not 100 percent, but it can be in some cases where the coach doesn't think it's necessary to apologize, for example, if something goes wrong. /.../ Maybe it's as if you're in a higher position of power, then you're allowed more, " said Ilona Kivisik.
"A good person cannot do top sport. I know a lot of good coaches who are not necessarily good people and I know a lot of good people who are not necessarily good coaches," said Kerde.

Sports psychologist: competition is tough in any case, why should a coach amplify it? (Feb. 23):

Spordipsühholoog: konkurents on igal juhul karm, miks peaks treener seda võimendama?

Kust jookseb piir väärkohtlemise ja range treeningmetoodika vahel? Kas tippsport peabki karm olema ja kaeblejad on lumehelbekesed? Spordipsühholoog Jorgen Matsi nentis, et veri ja pisarad on tippspordis niikuinii, aga see ei tähenda, et treener peaks seda omalt poolt võimendama.

sport.err.ee

Where is the line between abuse and strict training methodology? Does top sport have to be tough and complainers are snowflakes? Sports psychologist Jorgen Matsi stated that blood and tears are in top sports anyway, but this does not mean that the coach should amplify it.
ERR published on Wednesday that several former students accuse figure skating coach Anna Levandi of abuse. Society seems to be divided into two camps - some disapprove of the behavior highlighted in the accusations, while others say that results can only be achieved with a heavy hand. "Some people talk about staying motivated and snowflakes, but that's bullshit. Of course, we have so-called anecdotal examples where elite athlete X or elite athlete Y have reached the top, become very successful after years of abuse. It's easy to build a story that it's been meaningful," argued Matsi. "The question is what will happen to all these remaining children. And in my opinion - this is what I have been saying for years - we in a small country cannot afford the politicization of sports to the extent where we say that the results of top sports are a political tool. We say that we are working towards this goal children through some kind of rigid, strict and violent system and we get maybe some top athletes in return. The cost to society is actually much higher."

Levandi said in the "Eyewitness" interview that there can be no sport without pain, but pain gives results. Does top sport have to be blood and sweat and tears? "Blood and tears are in top sport anyway. Top sport IS hard. By definition, most people will never become top athletes - the top is narrow, we can't all be at the top at the same time. That means the competition is tough anyway, why would a coach amplify it?" thought Matsi. "The argument that Anna Levandi had, that she has to prepare in order to perform in front of tens of thousands at a world championship or an Olympic stadium, and that this preparation includes a tough attitude, is simply wrong. It is as good as if someone who is afraid, to shout, what the hell are you afraid of these dogs, then he would somehow get less afraid of dogs - it won't."
"How to deal with anxiety in front of tens of thousands of pairs of eyes, how to deal with falling and pain, there are very good sports psychological interventions and techniques for this. Coaches could educate themselves in this area. Yelling or humiliating are definitely not part of these techniques," he added. "I don't want to put the 'blame' here on Anna Levandi or other coaches, because, as I said, to some extent it is a backlog of the old-school methodology. Also, aesthetic areas, such as gymnastics, gymnastics, figure skating, where there is an early peak performance, have a structural problem - the coaches are not directly to blame for this either. In a certain sense, the areas themselves, with the way performance is evaluated, are inherently the kind that encourage the coach's behavior, where the coach puts too much pressure on himself and the student."

 

[Sylvia]

The latest news article in Estonian is dated March 5:

Uisuliidu komisjon töötab, selgus loodetakse leida võimalikult kiirelt

Eesti uisuliidu president Maire Arm ütles, et Anna Levandi kaasust uuriv komisjon on asunud tööle, kuid loobus uurimise praegusele faasidele viidates täpsematest kommentaaridest.

sport.err.ee

Machine translation:

The President of the Estonian Skating Union, Maire Arm, said that the commission investigating Anna Levand's case has started work, but she refused to give more detailed comments referring to the current phases of the investigation.

"All procedural and substantive issues are dealt with during the commission's work, and we will give answers after the work is finished. It is difficult to give a time forecast at the moment, but we will try to find out as soon as possible," she told Delfi.

Two weeks ago, ERR's sports portal wrote that several former students and parents accuse the well-known figure skating coach Anna Levandi of mental and physical abuse. Levandi, who has the category of elite coach, admitted that she is not flawless as a coach, but called most of the accusations slanderous and absurd.

Following the statements received by the Estonian Anti-Doping and Sports Ethics Foundation (EADSE), the Skating Union formed a commission to investigate the allegations. The head researcher of EADSE, Remo Perli, did raise a question about the composition of the committee and found that people outside the sub-union could also be included in it.

The committee formed by the Ice Skating Union includes the president of the sub-union Maire Arm, vice-president Vadim Belobrovtsev (vice-president), board member and international category judge Ere Lusti, and general secretary Jana Kuura.

After Perl's position was published on ETV's "Terevisioon" program, the ice skating union announced that it would involve external experts if necessary, and that EADSE's assessment, according to which the composition of the commission is required and the investigation may not be transparent, is not justified.

Has anyone outside the skating union been approached about this issue to date? "For the sake of the commission's work, we do not consider it possible to give additional comments on the started procedure or to participate in media discussions," Arm replied to Delfi.

"We are going to meet people who are involved in one way or another," Belobrovtsev added on Monday. "I think we'll start with those meetings next week. Then we'll see how everything goes."

"The plan for how we will move forward with the matter, what the next steps will be, more or less, is being drawn up and approved," he added.

 

[Sylvia]

Skating coach Anna Levandi handed warning after committee investigation (April 25, 2024):

Skating coach Anna Levandi handed warning after committee investigation

The Estonian Skating Federation has decided to only issue a warning to coach Anna Levand after a committee heard evidence from several complainants, witnesses, experts and Levandi herself in relation to allegations of mental and physical abuse.

news.err.ee

Excerpts:

The Estonian Skating Federation has decided to only issue a warning to coach Anna Levand after a committee heard evidence from several complainants, witnesses, experts and Levandi herself in relation to allegations of mental and physical abuse.

"The federation wants to be supportive to young athletes, their parents and coaches. To this end, we are planning to organize a number of training sessions and we will certainly also be asking the coaches what kind of training they still need in the field. We also encourage parents to take part in training sessions on emotions, psychology and the mental side of sport, as the training process has to consider the individual abilities, preparedness and general well-being of the child," said Maire Arm, president of the Estonian Skating Union, who chaired the committee.

All of the criticisms raised were connected to the extremely intense and demanding process of preparing top-level athletes. The commission's investigation found that many of the allegations, which had been presented as serious, were exaggerated and that major inconsistencies emerged. Some allegations were also dropped as they were not confirmed by the people involved. The commission also noted that there are no recordings available of the situations to which the allegations relate, even though the training sessions took place in groups and were open for parents to attend.

"We treated the complaints against the coach with the utmost attention and verified the complaints and the information we received as much as we were able to. During the course of the committee's work, we received no new complaints. We contacted all the people we knew who had made a complaint or whom we identified [as being involved] in the situations described to hear their accounts. We also listened to the statements of witnesses and Anna Levandi to get as full a picture as possible. We additionally spoke to various experts. In total, the commission interviewed ten people, and examined incidents from as much as 17 years ago, for which, understandably, it is not possible to adopt a firm position. We understand that there may have been an expectation that the for the commission to have found evidence, either clearly confirming or refuting the allegations in each instance, however, unfortunately, it has not been that simple. The analysis was complicated by the fact that many of the episodes described were situations in which it was one person's word against another's. In addition, some people also changed their accounts," said Marie Arm.

ETA (April 25):

Anna Levandi: Disagreements need to be resolved quickly and respectfully

Following the Estonian Skating Federation's decision to issue her with a warning, coach Anna Levandi, who had been accused of mental and physical violence, said conflicts have to be avoided, but also resolved in a reasonable way.

news.err.ee

"I have been engaging in a long and thorough [process of] introspection while waiting for the decision of the Skating Union. I feel I have given everything that I have to skating – my time, professional advice, experience, inspiration, energy, and most importantly – love. When skating is your life, then there will be times in your life when you make mistakes," Levandi wrote on social media.
"Conflicts are to be avoided, but it is equally important to resolve them sensibly right away. Disagreements need to be talked through, to try to understand the other side, sometimes [you have to] apologize, sometimes forgive and feel forgiven."

"The Tallinn City Government has appointed the district governors for Haabersti and Mustamäe. Starting today, May 10, Anna Levandi will lead the Haabersti district,...": https://www.tallinn.ee/en/news/city-government-appoints-district-governors-haabersti-and-mustamae