Why the USOC dumped USA Gymnastics
It’s been less than a year since Larry Nassar pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting many of his female patients, some of whom he met through his work as a USA Gymnastics doctor. Those ranks include some of the sport’s most famous and decorated champions – Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and too many others.
USA Gymnastics, which governs the sport from the local level all the way through America’s elite Olympic teams, has struggled to regroup, caught up in cycles of mistrust and non-transparency. It’s run through a slew of CEOs. It’s being sued by everyone. It still hasn’t accounted for its role in allowing Nassar to continue to operate despite complaints.
The organization is a disaster, a relic of evil overwhelming sport. And now it’s on its last legs.
It won’t be missed.
The United States Olympic Committee has taken the first steps to revoke its status as the national governing body for the sport.
What exactly does that mean? It’s that the USOC no longer sees any way for USAG to competently operate in its current form so it might as well just cease to exist.
This allows an entirely new organization – there needs to be a governing body after all – to be created. It should be a fresh start for a new era of gymnastics.
“You might be asking why now?” USOC CEO Sarah Hirshland wrote in an open letter to American gymnasts. “The short answer is that we believe the challenges facing the organization are simply more than it is capable of overcoming in its current form. We have worked closely with the new USAG board over recent months to support them, but despite diligent effort, the NGB continues to struggle. And that’s not fair to gymnasts around the country.
“Even weeks ago, I hoped there was a different way forward. But we now believe that is no longer possible,” Hirshland continued.
It was just last month that new USAG CEO Mary Bono resigned after just four days on the job. She had been criticized for her ties to the law firm Faegre Baker Daniels, which worked with the USAG on how to handle sexual abuse complaints concerning Nassar. Bono didn’t work on the case. However, it was problematic that after consultation with the firm, the allegations weren’t immediately revealed, alerting other victims or potential victims. She also had condemned protests by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
“My teammates and I reported Nassar’s abuse to USAG in 2015,” Raisman said in a tweet. “We now know USOC and lawyers at Faegre Baker Daniels [Mary Bono’s firm] were also told then, yet Nassar continued to abuse children for 13 months!? Why hire someone associated with the firm that helped cover up our abuse?”
It was just the latest issue with USAG, which has failed to win the trust of Nassar victims, particularly Raisman. The USOC watched on and finally determined there was nothing left worth salvaging.
United States gymnastics will start from scratch.
The commitment to the sport will not change. Neither will life at the local gym. Or in trying to create another gold medal team ahead of the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. Biles still dominated the World Championships last week, a reminder that greatness can persevere through tragedy.
Whatever form the new governing body holds going forward, and whatever commitment to transparency it embraces, it must work with the Olympic champions who carry such powerhouse voices.
“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 said in her letter. “This would take time and a lot of hard work from many of us, and many of you. I know that collectively, we are up to the task should that assignment be given at the outcome of this process.
“Today is only the beginning of an important process for gymnastics in the United States. The path is not crystal clear, but our motives are. So, we move forward, committed to ensuring the type of organization each gymnast and the coaches, trainers and club owners who support them, deserves.”
This doesn’t make up for the mistakes of the past. It does signify that the USOC has no more patience for half-attempts at reform or reconstruction.
The sport of gymnastics deserves and demands a brand new, and far better, governing organization.
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