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Lyons: USOC Wants To Tighten Existing Rules Before Changing ASA

Acting USOC CEO Susanne Lyons said the committee will first examine ways it can intervene in NGB activities under current law before it considers changes to the federal Amateur Sports Act.

In her first extended public remarks since replacing Scott Blackmun in February, Lyons said “everything is going to be on the table,” in its response to the USA Gymnastics sex abuse case, including a Congressional rewrite of the ASA, the 1978 law that grants the USOC exclusive jurisdiction over Olympic sports in the U.S. However, she said there are current practices that could be improved first.
“While it’s possible it involves opening the Amateur Sports Act, we think it’s important to see if we can achieve what we need to by examining all the policies and procedures in play,” she said. With outside consultation, Lyons said, the USOC is looking at its own grievance procedures, and the current work of its ombudsman. She said, “It’s not always clear exactly how much of a role we should be playing.”

After former Michigan State and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was convicted of sexual abuse in January, many experts have said the slow response to the allegations was in part driven by the structure of the Olympic bureaucracy, in which the USOC has ultimate authority over USA Gymnastics, but no say over its day-to-day operations.

Lyons’ remarks on Wednesday indicate the USOC’s view of its own authority under existing law may be evolving.
Congress may choose to amend the law on its own. “I think Washington is very interested in trying to clarify those roles and relationships between USOC and the NGB, and will be active participants going forward,” Lyons said.

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