Alleged Sexual Exploitation in US Gymnastics Revealed in Indy Star Investigation

As part of an investigative report conducted by the Indianapolis Star, it was revealed Thursday that at least 368 gymnasts from across the United States have alleged sexual abuse by adults within the sport over the past 20 years.

According to Tim Evans, Mark Alesia and Marisa Kwiatkowski of the Star, institutional failures by USA Gymnastics have contributed to the high number of allegations, which averages out to one every 20 days.

The investigation found that USA Gymnastics has at times treated reported abuse with skepticism and that the organization often fails to track and prevent offenders from getting coaching or training jobs after being fired for their actions.

USA Gymnastics released a statement in response to the report and asserted its commitment to ensuring that its gymnasts are not subjected to abuse:

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Nothing is more important to the leadership of USA Gymnastics than protecting the young people who learn and train at gymnastics facilities around the country. Keeping young people safe requires sustained vigilance by everyone – coaches, athletes, parents, administrators and officials. Addressing instances of sexual misconduct has been a top priority for USA Gymnastics for years, and we are wholly committed to promoting a safe environment for athletes. We work every day to strengthen our processes, policies and procedures in this critical area.

We are saddened when any athlete has been harmed in the course of his or her gymnastics career. We find it appalling that anyone would exploit a young athlete or child in this manner and recognize the effect this behavior can have on a person’s life. We do our very best to treat each athlete with respect, dignity, care and support throughout the process of reporting and handling of abuse, including respecting his or her right to privacy. USA Gymnastics policies mandate that when anyone affiliated with USA Gymnastics or member clubs suspect potential abuse, the appropriate legal authorities should be notified.

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The organization also mentioned the hiring of former federal prosecutor Deborah Daniels to conduct an investigation to ensure that all possible measures are being taken to protect the athletes.

With regard to USA Gymnastics' alleged negligence, former Olympic swimmer Nancy Hogshead-Makar said the following:

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It's very serious. It's just too easy for coaches to keep getting hired and hired and hired. Sexual abuse thrives on the fact that people are embarrassed about the topic, ashamed to talk about it, and they keep quiet about it. And that's exactly why molesting coaches keep getting hired at the next place. Nobody talks about a coach that is inappropriate with athletes; the coach quietly moves away and gets hired someplace else.

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Thursday's report came on the heels of a previous Star report from Evans, Alesia and Kwiatkowski in which it was determined that USA Gymnastics failed to report multiple sexual abuse allegations against coaches to the proper authorities.

The Star also reported in October that more than 30 people alleged sexual abuse by former USA Gymnastics team physician Dr. Larry Nassar.

Per the Star's latest report, USA Gymnastics said it was unaware of how many reported sexual abuse cases there were over the past two decades, and projections indicate as many as five times more than the 368 reported cases went unreported.

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