The governing body upheld some concerns about Hague and Dronfield Gymnastics Academy but did not tell complainants which ones. Hague is coaching young gymnasts at the Horizon Cup in Greece.
British Gymnastics issued Clare Hague and Dronfield Gymnastics Academy a formal warning lasting 2 years after upholding a number of concerns, according to an outcome letter inspected by BBC Sport. The warning includes monitoring and development measures, but Hague remains a coach at an international youth competition.
An earlier investigation into Hague concluded in 2022 with an offer of further training for coaches. The latest investigation considered concerns including fear-based coaching, emotional harm, restrictive practices and punitive attendance policies. British Gymnastics did not tell complainants which specific concerns it upheld.
Hague is head coach at Dronfield, near Sheffield, and squad coordinator for Yorkshire Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. English Gymnastics, an association affiliated with British Gymnastics, selected her for the Horizon Cup while the latest investigation was still underway.
Dronfield said it cooperated fully with the investigation, which it said found no serious issue for the club to address. The club said it was working with British Gymnastics on improvements. Hague did not respond directly to a request for comment.
British Gymnastics said it could not discuss individual case details and that outcomes require a fair and thorough assessment. It said it had received positive reports from Dronfield members and would remove any member it considered a risk from the sport.
One anonymous complainant alleged that some Dronfield gymnasts were afraid to ask to use the toilet, with some wetting themselves and others avoiding drinking during sessions. She said she feared repercussions for her daughter in the local gymnastics community. A complainant in the earlier investigation alleged that her daughter had experienced emotional and physical abuse at the club and said the latest outcome was effectively the same.
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The earlier investigation concluded months after the independent Whyte Review described systemic physical and emotional abuse in British gymnastics and found that wellbeing and welfare had not been central to British Gymnastics' culture. In 2023, British Gymnastics introduced rules requiring opportunities to drink during training and access to the toilet at the earliest available opportunity.
The governing body also began publishing the names of banned and expelled coaches that year. Claire Heafford, chief executive of the campaign group Gymnasts for Change, questioned repeated retraining rather than stronger sanctions when complaints span multiple years, arguing that such coaches should be removed from work with children. She said parents cannot tell whether a coach has faced previous complaints or other sanctions, and claimed that the current system continues to put children at risk.
Hague has traveled with English Gymnastics to the Horizon Cup, an artistic gymnastics competition for junior and pre-junior gymnasts aged 11–16. The Gymternet’s 2026 calendar listed the event for 5–7 November in Thessaloniki, Greece.
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