IndyStar's investigation on sexual abuse in gymnastics: What we know
IndyStar has undertaken the first-ever attempt to quantify the scope of sexual abuse in the sport of gymnastics. Reporters also looked into what is behind the abuse — and what can be done to combat it.
IndyStar's investigation — titled Out of Balance — began with a story in August that examined USA Gymnastics' failures to report many allegations of sexual abuse to law enforcement or child welfare agencies. In the second installment published in September, IndyStar uncovered allegations of sexual assault against longtime USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, who was charged in November with three counts of criminal sexual assault of a person under 13 years old.
On Thursday, after nine months of investigating, IndyStar published the latest chapter.
What we found
At least 368 gymnasts have accused coaches, gym owners and other adults in the sport with sexual misconduct over the last 20 years. That’s one every 20 days. And experts say the actual number is likely much higher. That’s because many victims — research indicates it could be as high as 65-80 percent — never report sexual abuse.
A 20-year toll: 368 gymnasts allege sexual exploitation
Who’s to blame?
Much, but not all, of the abuse involved coaches and gyms that are members of Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics. Parents, athletes and gym owners told IndyStar that they look for leadership from USA Gymnastics because it is the sport’s national governing body, and America’s most prominent gymnastics organization.
USA Gymnastics said athlete safety is a priority and officials find it "appalling that anyone would exploit a young athlete or child." The organization also said “USA Gymnastics is proud of the work it has done to address and guard against child sexual abuse.”
A blind eye to sex abuse: How USA Gymnastics failed to report cases
Escaping scrutiny
Many coaches who are suspected of sexual abuse or grooming behavior — but who have not been criminally charged or convicted — are able to move from gym to gym without detection. That includes some coaches who are members of USA Gymnastics. The organization says it does not track coach firings, and is not responsible for what occurs in member gyms because they are independent businesses.
“It’s not the predator in the bushes you need to worry about,” one victim warned. “It’s those in positions of power and authority … who harm precious and vulnerable children.”
Hands tied?
USA gymnastics officials say the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act limits the actions they can take against coaches because it requires due process before a coach’s membership can be revoked. But advocates for children and athletes disagree.
"Under the Sports Act, USAG can adopt this legal posture, but the law doesn't require a national governing body to adopt this 'hands-off' policy," said Nancy Hogshead-Makar, an Olympic gold-medal swimmer and attorney who is now CEO of the advocacy group Champion Women.
How coaches abuse kids
Experts told IndyStar the same, seemingly positive, qualities that make a coach successful — a close coach-athlete relationship, legitimate authority, blind trust and a successful reputation — can easily be exploited to groom and sexually abuse young athletes. In a study of elite female gymnasts and swimmers abused by their coaches, Gretchen Kerr and Ashley E. Stirling of the University of Toronto found several common themes:
- The victims equated “the power of the coach to that of a priest whose absolute knowledge is not questioned or challenged.”
- Many of the girls were in awe of coaches, in part because they held the key to the athletes’ potential success.
- Parents deferred to coaches they believed had the expertise and access to resources to ensure their children's competitive success.
- Troubling behavior often gets a pass because of a coach’s winning reputation.
What to do?
Everyone from parents to athletes to gymnastics officials need to be even more vigilant and take more aggressive steps to ensure vulnerable children are safe, experts told IndyStar.
“The most important part of this is that everybody needs to take off the rose-colored glasses and come to the reality that pedophiles are clever, cunning and smart,” said Marci Hamilton, CEO of CHILD USA, a research and advocacy group based at the University of Pennsylvania. “Adults need to stop trusting themselves. If your child is spending too much time with another adult, you may have a problem and you need to wake up to it. If your coach is spending too much time with his athletes or her athletes, you need to figure out what's really going on.”
Hogshead-Makar, the former Olympic gold-medal winner and CEO of Champion Women, said all USA Gymnastics members should be required to notify the organization when they fire a coach for a violation of USA Gymnastics rules regarding athlete safety. She said the governing body also should require gyms to adopt specific safety measures as a condition of membership.
Share your experiences
IndyStar will continue to investigate this topic. If you have information you would like to share, please email investigations@indystar.com or call (317) 444-6262.
Call IndyStar reporter Tim Evans at (317) 444-6204. Follow him on Twitter: @starwatchtim.
Call IndyStar reporter Mark Alesia at (317) 444-6311. Follow him on Twitter: @markalesia.
Call IndyStar reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski at (317) 444-6135. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyMarisaK.