Emma Webb, author of Historic, exposes the untold history of Olga Gymnastics club and the Phelps family legacy. We break down the abuse scandal, the Whyte Review, Gymnasts for Change, and how survivors pushed British Gymnastics to finally reform.
INTERVIEWWe talk with Emma Webb (pseudonym), author of the new book Historic: The True Legacy of Childhood Sport - The Book Every Parent Needs to Read, a memoir detailing the trauma and abuse she endured under convicted child sex offender Brian Phelps, plus the aftermath of how the British legal system chose to protect abusers over children
CHAPTERS (pre-auto inserted ads)
– Trigger Warning SA
– Brian Phelps' criminal charges and conviction
– The broader British gymnastics abuse reckoning
– Gymnasts for Change and the Whyte Review
– Restorative Program & the £15,000 split survivor offer
– How Emma first contacted GymCastic
– The long-term psychological and medical impact
– Doctors discovering internal injuries from childhood abuse
– Phelps' police interviews and his admissions
– Why survivors didn't pursue further prosecution
– Brian and Monica's life in France & public exposure
– Mapping all Olga locations & survivor triggers
– The pandemic pause and worsening mental health
– Discovery of the Phelps Legacy Club in 2022
– Multiple Phelps family members and their roles
– The "new" Renascence club operating despite convictions
– Timeline of Phelps fleeing & survivor disclosures
– A disturbing encounter: the club near Emma's son's bus stop
– Emma's decision: "Enough." Why she wrote Historic
– Reporting to the Whyte Review & British Athletes Commission
– Why reporting in the UK is a bureaucratic nightmare
– How reporting was mishandled & why systems fail
– How British Gymnastics and the council were complicit in Brian Phelps crimes
– Employment history: Phelps employed by the government & BBC
– Coaches and community "knew something was wrong"
– Other roles Monica and Brian held despite accusations
– The name "Renaissance" and why it matters
– How the club reopened after his release
– A fully avoidable tragedy: Phelps' first arrest in 1966
– Commonwealth Games cover-up to protect his career
– Royal audiences for Phelps & protected reputations
– The 10-year gap between his arrest and Emma meeting him
– How court attitudes toward sexual abuse haven't changed
– The Nik Stuart Foundation honoring Monica Phelps
– British Gymnastics leadership celebrating the Phelps family
– Video clip from the ceremony: denial of the Whyte Review
– Widespread knowledge in diving and gymnastics
– Comparing the Whyte Review to US investigations
– How the Whyte Review minimized sexual abuse
– Abuse in British Gymnastics: a larger pattern
– Non-sexual forms of abuse and lifelong harm
– Warning signs parents should not ignore
– Why the culture enables predators
– Parents' responsibility & due diligence
– Closed-door clubs & lingering dangers
– Male survivors vs. female survivors: unequal response
– How BG acted quickly for boys, not for girls
– Phelps' public statement denying Emma's reporting
– No mandatory reporting for the public in the UK
– Comparison to mandatory reporting vs good samaritan laws
– The UK protects money better than children
– How political leadership minimizes child abuse
– British boarding school culture & abuse
– What reforms are needed: national banned list & ombudsman
– Name changes allow offenders to disappear
– Hundreds of convicted offenders now untraceable
– How many survivors have come forward
– How many survivors known before the book
– Realizing past abuse only after adulthood
– Childhood context and normalization of abuse
– "Trust and Obey" culture at Olga and British school
– The moment Emma became a survivor, not a victim
– Returning to Olga decades later
– Parental responses and guilt
– What acknowledging PTSD unlocked
– How the trauma resurfaced during the pandemic
– Complex PTSD and real recovery work
– Finding effective PTSD support
TOPICS
- Read Whyte Review Investigation, a full independent review into the allegations of abuse in British Gymnastics
- How we got in contact with Webb after our Commentator Hall of Shame episode
- What moved Webb to write this book?
- How many times had Brian Phelps been investigated and was still allowed to coach?
- That time Monica Phelps (neé Rutherford) was still recognized at an award banquet and thanked her "partner"
- How can we convince parents to act quickly and take their children out of dangerous situations?
- Difference between how British Gymnastics treated male victims vs female victims?
- Should countries pass mandatory abuse reporting laws similar to good samaritan laws?
- How she finally got help and finding a great therapist.
- Silver linings in her journey.
- What does justice look like for Emma.
- GymCastic's Safeguarding checklist - questions everyone should ask a gym before signing up or working at a gymnastics club
- Historic book website
- Brian Phelps diving when he should have been in jail
- BBC Gymnastics historical sex abuse case: Survivor claims 'catastrophic failures'
- Monica Phelps awarded at 2003 Nik Stuart Foundation
- Mike Swallow speaks against Whyte Review at Nik Stuart Foundation awards
- Olga Gymnastics / Renascence Club corporate documents
- British Gymnastics hired private investigator to track down survivors of judge
- British Gymnastics banned list
- Report - Childhood trauma increases risk of MS
- SafeSport Training
- British Gymnastics Safeguarding
- The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles
- Aly Raisman book
- GymCastic Episodes
- Join Club Gym Nerd: https://gymcastic.com/club/
- Headstand Game: https://gymcastic.com/headstand-plugin/
- Forum: https://gymcastic.com/community/
- Merch: https://gymcastic.com/shop/
- Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters
- Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation
- GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links.
- Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
- Behind the Scenes - all episodes
