London, Aug 11 (IANS): Olympic bronze medallist Nile Wilson has said that British gymnasts are still 'treated like pieces of meat' because of the culture that exists in the sport.

"I would absolutely describe it as a culture of abuse, and I have lived and breathed it for 20 years," Wilson was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

"It's emotional manipulation, being pushed through physical pain was certainly something I experienced. The gymnasts are still, in my opinion, treated like pieces of meat.

"I would say that I was abused. But we wanted to win Olympic medals - the governing body wanted to win Olympic medals, the coaches wanted to win Olympic medals."

The 24-year-old made history when he became the first Briton to win an Olympic medal on the horizontal bar at Rio 2016.

There have been many abuse allegations in British Gymnastics.

According to the BBC, Leeds Gymnastics Club said it disputed Wilson's version of events and the allegations were "professionally" and "robustly" investigated, with the outcome independently verified.