Between 1996 and 2006, nearly 54 sexual abuse allegations were lobbed against coaches for USA Gymnastics — and as The Indianapolis Star reported Thursday, many of those allegations were never investigated. In an effort to protect coaches' reputations against false allegations, the organization, which is the governing body of gymnastics in the U.S., reportedly instituted a policy that required only complaints made directly by the victim or by the victim's parents to be further investigated.
That policy, The Indianapolis Star discovered, enabled many instances of sexual abuse to go unchecked throughout a 10-year period. In one case, "a coach preyed on young female athletes for seven years after USA Gymnastics dismissed the first of four warnings about him," the report revealed.
Furthermore, USA Gymnastics' policy runs counter to state laws, which require even suspected child abuse to be reported, and to legal experts' advice about how to best handle these sorts of allegations. "When an agency receives information, first they need to ask themselves: 'Do I have reason to believe that a child is being abused or neglected based on this information that I've received?'" Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina Korobov told the Star. "If so, you make a report. And you make an immediate report. End of story."
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USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny declined IndyStar's request for an interview, only saying in a statement: "USA Gymnastics has a long and proactive history of developing policy to protect its athletes and will remain diligent in evaluating new and best practices which should be implemented. We recognize our leadership role is important and remain committed to working with the entire gymnastics community and other important partners to promote a safe and fun environment for children."
The paper's report comes just a day before the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics, where the U.S. women's gymnastics team will be defending its gold-medal win at the last Summer Olympics in London. Read the full investigation at The Indianapolis Star.
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