U.S. senators introduce bill to address sex abuse in Olympic sports
Sixteen U.S. senators introduced legislation Monday that would make it a federal crime for Olympic national governing bodies to fail to promptly report child sexual abuse allegations to authorities.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said the bill was introduced in response to recent revelations of how national governing bodies — including USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming and USA Taekwondo — handled allegations of sexual abuse.
None of those organizations could immediately be reached Monday evening for comment.
"There should be no excuse for anyone — particularly those in positions of authority and who are entrusted with the safety and well-being of young athletes — to fail to report the sexual abuse of children and young adults," said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida. "Recent revelations about the USA Gymnastics program are deeply troubling, and it’s clear we must do more to strengthen protections for young athletes, ensure victims receive justice, and hold predators accountable."
Last month, USA Gymnastics acknowledged that it delayed reporting a sex abuse allegation against longtime team physician Dr. Larry Nassar to the FBI for more than five weeks while it conducted an internal investigation. An ongoing IndyStar investigation earlier revealed instances in which the organization failed to alert authorities to allegations of sexual abuse by coaches.
The bipartisan U.S. Senate bill, titled the "Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act of 2017," is co-sponsored by Feinstein and 15 other senators, including Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, and Todd Young, R-Indiana.
If passed, it would require adults who work for a national governing body or at an organization's sanctioned event to report allegations "as soon as possible" to law enforcement or face a fine and up to three years in prison. While all 50 states already have laws that require people to report suspected child abuse, the Senate bill would specifically target the 47 national governing bodies.
The federal legislation also would require the national governing bodies to implement policies that prevent athletes from being alone with an adult who is not a parent and create mechanisms that make it easier for people to report suspected abuse and share allegations among member gyms.
In the past, some Olympic organizations have claimed their efforts to implement stronger policies were hampered by the limitations of federal law.
“This will force the U.S. Olympic Committee and their national athletic governing bodies to do something they should have been doing all along: developing and enforcing strict policies that protect athletes from sexual abuse,” said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida. “It’s inexcusable that responsible adults looked the other way while terrible crimes were committed.”
USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said the organization welcomes all efforts to keep athletes safe.
“And while we have not had the opportunity to thoroughly review the legislation, it seems consistent with our current policies and procedures," Sandusky said. "Continued focus and collaboration from our partners in government, coupled with our years-long effort to build powerful Safe Sport policies, procedures and protections, most recently with Friday’s launch of the U.S. Center for Safe Sport, will help us ensure young people have access to the incredible benefits provided by sports while participating in safe and secure environments.”
The 16 senators who introduced the bill are: Feinstein; Donnelly; Young; Rubio; Nelson; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri; Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota; Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts; Kamala Harris, D-California; Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nevada; Jeff Flake, R-Arizona; and Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut.
Numerous advocacy organizations — including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, National Children's Alliance, Champion Women, Child USA and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network — are supporting the bill.
"No longer is reporting abuse in sports left solely to the states," said Marci Hamilton, CEO and academic director of Child USA. "By requiring all coaches and adults associated with a national governing body to report sexual abuse, this bill goes a long way toward changing the culture of sport."
The bill would extend the statute of limitations to allow victims of such abuse to sue up to 10 years after the alleged victim was abused or realizes what happened was abuse.
Numerous abuse survivors said they hope passage of the bill will prevent others from suffering.
"I appreciate Sen. Feinstein and her colleagues taking a horrendous tragedy and creating crucial change to protect future athletes," said Jeanette Antolin, member of the USA Gymnastics National Team and an abuse survivor. "By implementing such change, I feel like my pain can finally have a voice."
Call IndyStar reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski at (317) 444-6135. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyMarisaK.
Call IndyStar reporter Mark Alesia at (317) 444-6311. Follow him on Twitter: @markalesia.
Call IndyStar reporter Tim Evans at (317) 444-6204. Follow him on Twitter: @starwatchtim.
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