Simone Biles, a six-time world all-around gymnastics champion was sexually abused by Larry Nassar, an Olympic gymnastics team doctor. Simon was one of the many brave women to
speak up about the sexual abuse she suffered from, and Nasar would later be labeled an American serial child sexual abuser and physician. Nasar was a team doctor for eighteen years
and assaulted hundreds of young athletes (Verhoeven, 2020). Simone and her former teammates, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, and Maggie Nichols testified the the abuse before
senators on September 15, 2021 (Raso, n.d.). They fought relentlessly for justice and a change in the gymnastics community. In 2019 Simone Biles expressed her frustrations to the Olympic
committee stating they have failed their athletes one too many times. The National Governing Body for Gymnastics in the United States then worked to repair their reputation and athlete’s
trust. “We recognize how deeply we have broken the trust of our athletes and community, and are working hard to build that trust back,” Leung said in a statement. The organization improved
the screening of coaches and created training on sexual abuse and filing misconduct reports.
The organization also created an Athlete Bill of Rights that focuses on protecting athletes from all forms of abuse.
“When a survivor speaks out against their abuse, they indirectly let other survivors know they are not alone.”
Written by: Hallie Doherty, Intern
January 30, 2024
References
Raso, A. (n.d.). Abused in the pursuit of a dream: How USA gymnastics failed to protect its gymnasts. Scholarly Commons at Hofstra Law.
https://scholarlycommons.law.hofstra.edu/hlelj/vol37/iss2/6/
Verhoeven, B. (2021b, September 15). “Most shocking details from Larry Nassar Sexual Abuse Documentary” TheWrap.
https://www.thewrap.com/athlete-a-shocking-details-larry-nassar-sexual-abuse-documentary