Aly Raisman, a six-time Olympic medalist and former member of the U.S. Gymnastics team, said that Dr. Larry Nassar,sexually abused her. According to ESPN News, Dr. Nassar worked as a trainer and doctor for nearly 30 years with the U.S.A. gymnastics team, and he treated Raisman at four different Olympics games.
In a 60 Minutes interview, Aly Raisman told CBS News that Dr. Nassar had first treated her when she was fifteen years old. More than one hundred and thirty women have come forward with similar sexual harassment allegations in the past month.
McKayla Maroney, another member of the USA Gymnastics team, publicly disclosed that Dr. Nassar began sexually harassing her at age thirteen. Jamie Dantzer, another famous gymnast, has come forward with similar sexual misconduct claims.
Since so many females athletes are afraid to speak up against Nassar, Raisman is calling for major changes in the USA Olympics. She called him a “monster” and blamed the USA Gymnastics for not stopping him.
“Why are we looking at why didn’t the girls speak up? Why not look at what about the culture?” Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman asks. Her story Sunday on @60Minutes https://t.co/BXctAg3cBo pic.twitter.com/CNbQNiuaOY
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 10, 2017
USA Gymnastics has released a statement saying it will implement major changes to its sexual misconduct policy. These policy changes include mandatory reporting, expanded definitions for sexual misconduct, and harsher standards for inappropriate behavior.
“USA Gymnastics is very sorry that any athlete has been harmed…” the statement reads, “…we want to work with Aly and all interested athletes to keep athletes safe.”
Dr. Nassar is currently serving jail time in Michigan, and is facing 22 counts of first degree sexual misconduct. He has been found guilty of possessing child pornography, and has pled innocence to all of the sexual assault charges. Matt Newburg, his lawyer, has not released any public comments about the case.
Luckily, the USA Olympics is changing its policies because of all the sexual harassment claims. The organization has acknowledged an important truth: No young female athlete should feel unsafe in competitive sports.