It has been 10 years since the Indianapolis Star published allegations of sexual abuse by Larry Nassar, the former team doctor for USA Gymnastics, setting off a chain of events that would lead to a reckoning for the sport.
asserted
that → publish → sport
Hundreds of women came forward with their own allegations against Nassar, who also worked at Michigan State University, leading to his conviction and jailing.
asserted
who → come → conviction
The exposure of his crimes sparked a wider investigation into how gymnastics had allowed predators to abuse young athletes around the world.
asserted
predators → spark → world
While Nassar was the worst recorded case, it emerged many other countries had questions to answer about the failure to protect victims from not only sexual but physical and emotional abuse.
asserted
countries → record → abuse
But a decade later, on a large houseboat moored in Rotterdam three tram stops away from the Ahoy Arena, where the World Gymnastics Championships are taking place this week, survivors and advocates raised fears about the slow pace of change.
asserted
survivors → moor → change
The impact of the Nassar case was seismic, not least because of the decision of Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, on agreeing to Nassar’s plea deal, to allow his victims to have their say in her courtroom.
asserted
victims → agree → courtroom
People tuned into Aquilina’s courtroom from all over the world to watch as 169 people took to the stand across seven days, delivering blistering, emotionally charged and brave testimonies of Nassar’s abuse and the impact of that abuse.
asserted
people → tune → abuse
Aquilina sentenced him to up to 175 years in jail with other convictions, federal and state, making a total of 300 years to life.
asserted
Aquilina → sentence → life
“I know, dealing with so many victims, that when they speak publicly you see them shed their pain and get taller.
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them → know → pain
You see them have a relief, an automatic release,” says Aquilina, perched on a seat in the helm of the boat.
asserted
Aquilina → see → boat
“The most interesting thing was that at first I had a list of maybe a dozen names who wanted to speak, then it was 20, then it was 30, and then it got up to 80, 100, etc.
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it → have → 100
“What happened was that one girl empowered the next, who empowered the next.
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who → happen → next
It was the beginning of their healing because they felt finally heard and believed, in a safe space, and they got to tell him to his face, eyeball to eyeball: ‘You hurt me.
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You → hear → me
I am not a number, I am a name, how dare you?’
asserted
you → dare → ?
“Nassar constantly wanted control.
asserted
Nassar → want → control
He wanted to continue to control me, to control the girls, and to say: ‘Look what I’ve done.
asserted
I → want → what
I took the plea for you’.
asserted
I → take → you
Did he deserve my respect?
asserted
he → deserve → respect
Did he give me respect?
asserted
he → give → respect
Did he give any of the victims respect?
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he → give → respect
He never owned it.
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He → own → it
That infuriated me.
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That → infuriate → me
It should infuriate everyone.”
asserted
It → infuriate → everyone
Among the victims motivated to speak after hearing others’ statements was the Olympic gold medallist Aly Raisman, who was excoriating in blaming USA Gymnastics for enabling Nassar.
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who → motivate → Nassar
She was joined by fellow gold medallist Jordyn Wieber, Olympic bronze medallist Jamie Dantzscher and former US national champion Mattie Larson.
asserted
She → join → Wieber
The mother of the athlete who first complained about Nassar, Maggie Nichols, read out a powerful statement on her behalf.
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who → complain → behalf
Simone Biles, the most famous gymnast of her generation, revealed she was a victim on social media and later testified publicly in front of the US Senate Judiciary Committee.
asserted
she → reveal → Committee
Two years after Nassar’s sentencing, a documentary film named after Nichols, called Athlete A, was released, shining a spotlight on the traditional coaching system of compliance, fear and silence and how it allowed Nassar to operate.
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Nassar → name → compliance
The documentary opened the global floodgates.
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documentary → open → floodgates
Kim Shore, who was a gymnast in Canada in the 1980s and “experienced all forms of abuse, but also all forms of joy”, was then on the board of directors of Gymnastics Canada, the national governing body, after stepping into governance when her own experiences and direct intervention had failed to prevent the cycle of mistreatment repeating with a family member.
asserted
cycle → experience → member
“I absolutely love the sport.
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I → love → sport
I love how it feels in my body.
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it → love → body
I love so many aspects of it.
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I → love → it
And yet I spent most of my time surviving it,” she says.
asserted
she → spend → it
Shore, who is an independent safe sport advocate, says of the impact of the Nassar case: “I was floored, understanding: ‘OK, I wasn’t a bad kid, I wasn’t a bad gymnast, this is why I was treated that way, it’s endemic.’”
Yet the reaction from the organisation was “absolutely lacking”, says Shore.
asserted
Shore → say → organisation
“I remember I sat and watched those girls tell their story in the courtroom and I just bawled.
asserted
I → remember → courtroom
I encouraged the board members that I was associated with to watch it as well.”
asserted
I → encourage → it
She does not believe any of them did.
asserted
any → believe → them
Eloise Jotischky, 23, who at the end of last year won the first civil case against British Gymnastics for the abuses she suffered in the sport, says the impact of the film was being able “to articulate what you’ve been through and find the terms to understand and talk about your experience”.
asserted
you → win → experience
“It’s very hard to explain it to people who are not within that culture, that sport,” she says.
asserted
she → ’ → culture
…and 101 more, not listed.
The Aporia
