Prompted by a huge scandal that shook US gymnastics, several senators on Tuesday pushed for a bill that would criminalize the failure of amateur athletics governing bodies to report suspected sex abuse.
Star gymnasts testify at Congress about sex-abuse scandal
- The USA Gymnastics doctor who has been accused of sexually assaulting dozens of young girls was part of the 1996 Olympic team
- Larry Nassar can be seen in the now iconic photographs of Kerri Strug being treated after she injured her ankle in the vault
- Strug would go on to land her second attempt on the apparatus and help the US women win their first ever gold medal in the team all-around competition
- On Tuesday, three former gymnasts testified in front of Congress against Nassar
- Jamie Dantzscher, a bronze medalist at the 2000 Games in Sydeny, said she was abused ‘around the world’ by Nassar for six years and at the Olympics
- Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu said on Wednesday that the abuse was never reported due to the ‘culture of fear’ created by Bela and Marta Karolyi
Dominique Moceanu
Jamie Dantzscher
Jamie Dantzscher, a 2000 Olympic bronze medalist, and three-time national champion rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard recounted their experiences before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Jessica Howard
They told the committee of their abuses by Dr. Larry Nassar, who is in jail without bond in Michigan and also faces federal child pornography charges.
“USA Gymnastics failed its most basic responsibility to protect the athletes under its care,” Dantzscher said through tears.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California is co-sponsoring a bill that requires organizations overseeing Olympic sports to immediately report sex-abuse allegations to law enforcement or child-welfare authorities. She has been critical of USA Gymnastics’ handling of the sex-abuse scandal, said she met two months ago with former gymnasts who were abused as teenagers and carried the trauma with them as adults.
“The culture was money and medals. The culture wasn’t about the girl.”
The woman were joined on Tuesday by Dominique Moceanu, a 1996 gold medalist and teammate of Strug, who described a ‘culture of fear, intimidation and humiliation, established by Bela and Marta Karolyi.’
Olympic official testifies that they ‘failed young athletes’ who were allegedly abused
- US gymnastics stars share sex abuse horror story in Senate
- Push for bill tackling sex abuse after USA Gymnastics scandal
- Facing Congress, Some Sports Officials (Not All) Begin to Confront Sexual Abuse New York Times
- Star gymnasts testify at Congress about sex-abuse scandal Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
- MSU ‘wants to get to bottom’ of Nassar sex-abuse controversy, trustee says MLive.com