Two US senators yesterday introduced legislation to prevent sexual assaults against athletes by increasing oversight and legal liability for US Olympic and sports officials following the Larry Nassar scandal.
The legislation was welcomed by former gymnasts and abuse survivors such as Jordyn Wieber, but drew a mixed response from the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), which said that it could cause operational “disruption” for athletes.
The bill followed an 18-month bipartisan investigation that found Nassar, the former team doctor for USA Gymnastics, was able to assault hundreds of girls and women because of a lack of transparency and accountability among US Olympic officials, coaches and trainers.
“This needs to empower and embolden the athletes, who should feel they can come forward without fear of retaliation and without intimidation,” Democratic US Senator Richard Blumenthal said in a conference call about the bill he cosponsored with Republican Senator Jerry Moran.
The bill gives the US Congress authority to dissolve the board of the USOPC and decertify national governing bodies should they fail to protect athletes.
The Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act would also impose greater legal liability on the USOPC and national governing bodies that oversee amateur sports for acts such as sexual abuse by coaches and employees.
Nassar was in 2017 sentenced to up to 300 years in prison after more than 350 women testified about abuse at his hands, including Olympic champions Aly Raisman and Wieber.
The scandal prompted the resignation of the board and other officials at USA Gymnastics, the sport’s governing body, after victims accused them of being slow to investigate abuse allegations.
Former USA Gymnastics officials said that the USOPC was informed of sexual abuse in gymnastics more than two decades ago, but did little to address the issue.
To raise oversight, the Senate bill would increase the level of athletes’ representation on the USOPC board.
It would also require the committee to pay the Center for Safe Sport US$20 million per year to raise the independence of the organization set up to investigate allegations of sexual abuse in sports.
“Stronger oversight by Congress and a truly independent Center for Safe Sport is necessary to restore public confidence in our Olympic organizations,” Wieber said in a statement.
USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland supported the senators’ bid to improve safety, but said that she looked forward to working with Congress to address certain areas of the bill.
For example, the legislation does not spell out how a sports governing body would be replaced should it be dissolved by Congress, she said.
“There are sections in the proposed legislation that, while conceptually appropriate, could result in unintended consequences and disruption for athletes in operational reality,” Hirshland said in a statement.
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