ATHENS — Main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras expressed his support for all athletes in gymnastics, following the shocking reports of abuse and extremely violent behaviour at the hands of coaches for many years, during a teleconference on Tuesday. The main opposition leader called for an in-depth investigation of the incidents reported.

"All the things that you described are truly shocking and I deeply believe that everything that has been reported must be investigated in depth," he said, referring to their letter to the President of the Hellenic Republic outlining instances of abuse.

He noted that those responsible must be held to account and that it was essential to clean up sport from phenomena of abuse and violence of this kind, praising the effort made by the athletes in this direction and asking them to propose means and methods to put an end to the phenomenon.