Embattled US Olympic Committee (USOC) CEO Scott Blackmun has stepped down following calls for his resignation in the wake of a USA Gymnastics abuse scandal.
Blackmun, who faced stinging criticism for his handling of the case involving team doctor Larry Nassar that rocked the sport, departs after eight years in the role. The 60-year-old administrator had recently disclosed he was battling prostate cancer.
“Given Scott’s current health situation, we have mutually agreed it is in the best interest of both Scott and the USOC that we identify new leadership so that we can immediately address the urgent initiatives ahead of us,” USOC chairman Larry Probst said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The USOC is at a critical point in its history. The important work that Scott started needs to continue and will require especially vigorous attention in light of Larry Nassar’s decades-long abuse of athletes affiliated with USA Gymnastics,” he added.
USOC board member Susanne Lyons is to replace Blackmun as interim chief executive as the hunt for a permanent successor got under way.
Blackmun’s departure comes after he had faced calls to resign for his alleged failure to act swiftly as the Nassar scandal unfolded, claims rejected by committee.
Multiple US senators had demanded his resignation after the Wall Street Journal reported that the committee was made aware of allegations surrounding Nassar in 2015, yet did nothing to intervene.
Probst had initially ruled out any changes in personnel until an investigation ordered by the committee had determined who knew what and when, saying that Blackmun had “served USOC with distinction.”
However, the progress of that investigation was confronted by an immediate roadblock after it emerged last week that several of Nassar’s victims had vowed not to cooperate, citing mistrust of the committee and Blackmun.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Olympic gymnasts, including gold medalists Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, had said they would opt out of the investigation.
“The athletes don’t want to participate,” a lawyer for the gymnasts told the newspaper. “They don’t trust the USOC, and they don’t trust [Blackmun].”
Raisman, a prominent Blackmun critic, had questioned how committed the committee was to the investigation.
“For 31 months, I heard nothing,” Raisman told the newspaper. “I find it hard to believe after all this time that the USOC is genuinely concerned about anything other than the scrutiny it’s now facing.”
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
Denmark’s double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen, long a rival of Taiwan’s former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen, yesterday announced his retirement at age 32, saying back problems meant he could no longer “compete and train at the highest level.” Axelsen, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and again in Paris in 2024, had back surgery in April last year and said he had not overcome his physical issues. “Accepting this situation has been incredibly difficult,” he said in a statement. “But I have now reached a point where my body won’t allow me to continue.” Axelsen retires as one
Italian soccer is at its lowest ebb in nearly 40 years after a wholesale European exodus at club level followed the nation’s failure for the third successive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and compounded a leadership and structural crisis. The exits suffered by Bologna and ACF Fiorentina on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League respectively meant no Italian teams are left in European competition this season. Italy’s last remaining UEFA Champions League contenders, Atalanta BC, went out in the round of 16 last month. It is the first time since the 1986-1987 campaign that Italian clubs
RSS