Olympic Committee Moves to Take Over U.S.A. Gymnastics Over Sexual Assault Complaints
By Juliet Macur
[This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.]
The United States Olympic Committee moved to take over the operations of U.S.A. Gymnastics on Monday because of its handling of sexual assault complaints, including a team doctor who assaulted more than 300 athletes.
The move, which comes after years of complaints that the national governing body was not doing enough to address sexual assault in the sport, is considered the “nuclear option” for the U.S.O.C, which rarely takes such action against the 50 federations under its umbrella.
The step the Olympic committee is taking essentially allows for the national committee to take over the operations of the sport’s governing body, especially the high-performance team, which will be under the management of the U.S.O.C. for the foreseeable future.
“This is a situation in which there are no perfect solutions,” Sarah Hirshland, the Olympic committee’s chief executive, said in a statement. “Seeking to revoke recognition is not a conclusion that we have come to easily. In the short-term, we have to work to ensure that U.S.A.G. gymnasts have the support necessary to excel on and off the field of play. We are building plans to do just that.
“In the long-term,” the statement said, “it will be the critically important responsibility of the recognized Gymnastics NGB, whether the existing organization or a new one, to lead gymnastics in the United States and build on the supportive community of athletes and clubs that can carry the sport forward for decades to come. We are prepared to identify and help build such an organization.”
It was not immediately clear how the U.S.O.C. would handle the operations of the gymnastics federation while a potentially lengthy decertification process unfolds. The U.S.O.C. has to appoint a review board, hold a hearing, wait for the review panel to issue a report, and then the U.S.O.C. board will hold a final vote on decertification.
However, in a statement, Hirshland held out the possibility that an entirely new entity be created to carry out the many responsibilities that U.S.A Gymnastics currently has. Those include managing elite national teams, and certifying gyms and coaches.
“Over time, gymnastics clubs around the country may become members of a new organization that lives up to the expectations of the athletes and those that support them, their parents included,” Hirshland wrote. “I know that collectively, we are up to the task should that assignment be given at the outcome of this process.”
In addition to its delayed responses to sexual assault complaints, the gymnastics federation has in recent months been unable to get a new leadership team in place. Kerry Perry, who replaced Steve Penny as chief exective, was forced out after she appointed Mary Lee Tracy, an elite coach and gym owner, to a leading development position even though Tracy continued to defend national team doctor Larry Nassar after 50 women had come forward saying he abused them.
Altogether, more than 300 women and girls — including several Olympic gymnasts — have said they were assaulted by Nassar, a former Michigan State University physician who was sentenced to decades in prison for sex crimes dating to 1992.
Last month, the board of the federation appointed former congresswoman Mary Bono as interim chief executive, but Bono resigned four days later after several top gymnasts complained about her association with a law firm that had advised the federation during the Nassar scandal.
Olympic Committee Moves to Take Over U.S.A. Gymnastics Over Sexual Assault Complaints
By Juliet Macur
[This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.]
The United States Olympic Committee moved to take over the operations of U.S.A. Gymnastics on Monday because of its handling of sexual assault complaints, including a team doctor who assaulted more than 300 athletes.
The move, which comes after years of complaints that the national governing body was not doing enough to address sexual assault in the sport, is considered the “nuclear option” for the U.S.O.C, which rarely takes such action against the 50 federations under its umbrella.
The step the Olympic committee is taking essentially allows for the national committee to take over the operations of the sport’s governing body, especially the high-performance team, which will be under the management of the U.S.O.C. for the foreseeable future.
“This is a situation in which there are no perfect solutions,” Sarah Hirshland, the Olympic committee’s chief executive, said in a statement. “Seeking to revoke recognition is not a conclusion that we have come to easily. In the short-term, we have to work to ensure that U.S.A.G. gymnasts have the support necessary to excel on and off the field of play. We are building plans to do just that.
“In the long-term,” the statement said, “it will be the critically important responsibility of the recognized Gymnastics NGB, whether the existing organization or a new one, to lead gymnastics in the United States and build on the supportive community of athletes and clubs that can carry the sport forward for decades to come. We are prepared to identify and help build such an organization.”
It was not immediately clear how the U.S.O.C. would handle the operations of the gymnastics federation while a potentially lengthy decertification process unfolds. The U.S.O.C. has to appoint a review board, hold a hearing, wait for the review panel to issue a report, and then the U.S.O.C. board will hold a final vote on decertification.
However, in a statement, Hirshland held out the possibility that an entirely new entity be created to carry out the many responsibilities that U.S.A Gymnastics currently has. Those include managing elite national teams, and certifying gyms and coaches.
“Over time, gymnastics clubs around the country may become members of a new organization that lives up to the expectations of the athletes and those that support them, their parents included,” Hirshland wrote. “I know that collectively, we are up to the task should that assignment be given at the outcome of this process.”
In addition to its delayed responses to sexual assault complaints, the gymnastics federation has in recent months been unable to get a new leadership team in place. Kerry Perry, who replaced Steve Penny as chief exective, was forced out after she appointed Mary Lee Tracy, an elite coach and gym owner, to a leading development position even though Tracy continued to defend national team doctor Larry Nassar after 50 women had come forward saying he abused them.
Altogether, more than 300 women and girls — including several Olympic gymnasts — have said they were assaulted by Nassar, a former Michigan State University physician who was sentenced to decades in prison for sex crimes dating to 1992.
Last month, the board of the federation appointed former congresswoman Mary Bono as interim chief executive, but Bono resigned four days later after several top gymnasts complained about her association with a law firm that had advised the federation during the Nassar scandal.
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