Children as young as six make themselves sick before taekwondo tournaments to ... trends now
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Children as young as six are deliberately making themselves sick before British taekwondo tournaments to avoid having to pay controversial 'weight change' fines, parents have told The Mail on Sunday.
Youngsters have to pre-register the weight band they wish to fight in two weeks before a tournament and are then weighed again on their arrival at the event to ensure children of similar sizes fight against each other.
But concerned parents say their children – who are forced to stand on scales during distressing pre-fight weigh-ins wearing only their underwear – are in danger of developing eating disorders to avoid the shame of having to pay the £20 penalty to avoid being kicked out of the event.
Parents claimed children have been told they can escape a fine if they come back to be weighed again minutes later – which has led to some youngsters making themselves vomit so that they can lose weight fast.
Others refuse food and drink or dangerously dehydrate themselves before a tournament weigh-in through excessive exercise. The practice has happened for years but has come under the spotlight in the wake of a series of fat-shaming scandals facing other Olympic sports.
Mili Bhandal (left), 11, from West London, is a regular competitor at taekwondo events but her mother, Puneet Bhandal (right), 54, has observed changes in her daughter in light of the tournament weigh-in procedures she has faced
