A Cambridge gymnastics coach who was banned from the sport last year over maltreatment of athletes has had her appeal of the earlier ruling denied. Sports lawyer Amanda Fowler called the decision "precedent setting" because it's the first type of sanction in the world to award a lifetime ban for non sexual maltreatment.
Saadi, 72, is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and coached the Canadian Olympic gymnastics team in 1996, 2000, 2012, and 2020. She also co-owned Dynamo Gymnastics Club in Cambridge. "It went through an investigation phase," Fowler said. "It determined that all of the complaints had merit and that they did in fact happen."
Saadi was handed a lifetime ban when it came to training athletes. She also has been banned for 10 years from training other coaches. She is prohibited from engaging in any other Gymnastics Canada-related activities for life including judging, officiating, attending competitions and developing content for training or competitions.
But, Saccucci added, he and co-counsel Alessia Grossi "had serious concerns about the disciplinary process that Elvira was subjected to at Gymnastics Canada" as well as the unprecedented sanction. He said he and Grossi worked pro bono on the case "to make sure that the process before Gymnastics Canada, and the resulting suspension, were reviewed by an independent arbitrator" at the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada.