USOC CEO Sarah Hirshland yesterday moved to revoke USA Gymnastics’ status as a member governing body, effectively a death penalty for the organization as it continues to flounder in the wake of the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal. “You might be asking why now?” Hirshland said in an open letter to the gymnastics community. “The short answer is that we believe the challenges facing the organization are simply more than it is capable of overcoming in its current form. ... Even weeks ago, I hoped there was a different way forward. But we now believe that is no longer possible.”
The implications are vast for the entire sport of gymnastics, affecting virtually every grassroots club and Olympic-level athlete in the U.S. Hirshland in her letter acknowledged the uncertainty revocation would pose, but promised the USOC will work to support individual gymnasts at all levels. If USAG’s status is revoked, the USOC would take over direct operations of gymnastics until a new NGB successfully obtains USOC membership. “We are developing both a short- and longer-term plan and will communicate it as soon as we can,” Hirshland said. “The clearest answer I can provide is that gymnastics as a sport will remain a bedrock for the Olympic community in the United States.”
See today’s issue of THE DAILY for more.
