Top gymnasts' future at stake as centre faces axe

"This place has been her second home since she was five. She spends 25 hours there every week after school and her coach is basically her second mother - it's heartbreaking."

Justyna Kosinink's 14-year-old daughter Olivia is hoping to join the Polish Olympic team at the Los Angeles Games, but the potential closure of the East London Gymnastics Centre (ELGC), in Beckton, could put paid to that.

The elite gymnastics centre, where Olympians and the Hollywood actor Tom Holland have trained, was built in 1997 with Sport England and National Lottery funding.

But the charity that runs the facility has been handed an eviction notice by the new site owners and has until the new year to vacate.

The developers said they had kept the centre management informed of their plans, offered alternative venues, and were working to find a solution to preserve the club's role in the community.

The ELGC serves about 2,500 people weekly for gymnastics, martial arts, and other community events. It is also a test centre for professional stunt performers.

Several parents of gymnasts who train there have told BBC London the closure could halt their children's potential progress to the top.

For Ana Metcan's 10-year-old daughter Mikayla, who has trained at ELGC for six years, the gym has been a "second home".

Mikayla is on track for elite competition, with dreams of joining Team GB.

Ms Metcan worries that without the ELGC, her daughter’s “future [will be] at stake".

"They are the ones who have built her as an elite gymnast and she is in the national squad and competed for the London team in three finals."

Ms Metcan, who lives in Dagenham and changed jobs along with her husband to accommodate their daughter's 25 hours of weekly training, said the ELGC was the only facility that offered coaching at this level that they could access.

An equivalent centre in Basildon, Essex, is too far away for Mikayla to make it in time for training after school, she added.

Mikayla said: "I've been working so hard for the last eight years and I can't imagine having to stop because my family can't accommodate the [longer] travel."

Dominic Brindle, an Olympian who competed for Team GB in Atlanta at the 1996 Games, said his daughter Aria, 10, shared the same goals.

Mr Brindle, whose family travels from Loughton, Essex, said the gym’s closure would disrupt her ambitions.

“It’s a huge part of her life,” he explained, noting that other options were impractical due to travel demands and limited space for competitive training.

"It's a huge commitment for her and us as a family but it's something she's very passionate about," he said, adding the ELGC closure could be a "deal breaker" on whether she could continue.

Kirk Zammit, who runs the East London School of Gymnastics, Movement and Dance, the charity that leases and operates the ELGC, told BBC London the freeholder of the building sold it to property development firm Linea Homes in 2020.

“They told us not to panic,” Mr Zammit told BBC London, describing how developers had originally assured them they would collaborate to meet the gym’s specific needs.

Despite a year and a half of meetings, he said, communication slowed in early 2023, and in June the gym received notice that the lease would end.

Linea Homes had partnered with Galliard Homes, another property developer, to take the project forward and the management was told plans for a new gym were "no longer viable", Mr Zammit explained.

The operators have until 1 January to vacate the centre.

It remains unclear what the developers intend to do with the site and no plans have been submitted to Newham Council.

The eviction has prompted a campaign by members, parents and the wider community in Beckton to try to prevent the ELGC's closure, with an onine petition attracting over 7,000 signatures.

A Linea Homes spokesperson said they were committed to “retaining the building and ensuring its financial viability” by securing a new tenant who will bring “significant health and social benefits to the community”.

"Since agreeing to purchase the site, we have kept the existing tenants informed of our plans. We remain committed to assisting the Gymnastics Centre with support where possible during this transition," they added.

Mr Zammit disputed claims by the developers that he or his business partner had been kept informed throughout the process.

He added the offered rent-free facility was outside of Newham, in Bromley in south-east London, and did not meet the criteria for an elite gymnastics facility.

A spokesperson for Galliard Homes said the situation had arisen because “the owner and ELGC’s management [signed] a tenancy agreement outside of the 1954 Act", which allowed a "vacant possession notice" to be served.

They said the ELGC management had been "aware of the current situation for some time" but had not made alternative plans.

They added that Galliard was “committed to supporting ELGC” through the transition and had offered a rent-free space and other potential options to help the club continue its operations.

Newham mayor Rokhsana Fiaz emphasised the gym’s importance, noting that the council was reviewing an application to designate it as an Asset of Community Value.

She added that the council’s Local Plan highlighted the gym’s “sporting significance” and need for preservation.

A spokesperson for Sport England also stressed the importance of accessible facilities such as ELGC for local sports development, referencing ongoing discussions with the council and the gym’s management regarding its future.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]