Rio 2016: Sex offence allegations hit american gymnastics
USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny denied an Indianapolis Star report on Thursday on the eve of the Rio Olympics saying organisation leaders have failed to report sexual abuse by predator coaches.
USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny denied an Indianapolis Star report on Thursday on the eve of the Rio Olympics saying organisation leaders have failed to report sexual abuse by predator coaches.
The newspaper found multiple examples of children being abused despite numerous warnings from USA Gymnastics, including a coach preying upon young girls in Georgia for seven years after the first of four warnings against a coach was dismissed.
“Addressing issues of sexual misconduct has been important to USA Gymnastics for many years, and the organisation is committed to promoting a safe environment for its athletes,” Penny said in a statement.
“USA Gymnastics has been proactive in helping to educate the gymnastics community over the years, and will continue to take every punitive action available within our jurisdiction, and cooperate fully with law enforcement.”
The newspaper cited a 2013 lawsuit filed by a young female athlete in which two former USA Gymnastics officials admitted under oath that the group routinely dismissed sexual abuse allegations as hearsay unless they came directly from a victim or victim’s parents.
“USA Gymnastics had enough information, I think, to have done something about this,” said Lisa Ganser, whose daughter’s lawsuit is still being argued. “It didn’t have to happen to my daughter and to other little girls.”