Will the Future of Gymnastics Be Deterred By Its Governing Organization?
Last November, Simone Biles resumed her training with one wish: to return to the physique that granted her a gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Her wish has now been granted. Biles will go back to her home in Houston with gold medals from the team final, the all-around final, floor, and vault, as well as silver on the uneven bars and bronze on beam, granting her twenty medals over all from the world championships. This tied her with Svetlana Khorkina of Russia for the most medals awarded to a female gymnast and made her the first woman to earn a medal on all four events since Yelena Shushunova did it for the Soviet Union in 1987.
When asked how she felt after the gratifying series of meets, Biles stated, “I think there’s a lot to be proud of, but I’m most proud that I’m here, I made all the event finals, medaled in all of the events and I survived.” The Olympian rightfully emphasized the fact that she remained alive, as her health was not guaranteed when the meet began. The night before she qualified for the world championships, Biles was hospitalized due to a kidney stone that was too large to pass. Unfortunately, there are doping regulations surrounding gymnastics events, forcing Biles to deal with the pain without prescription pain medication. However, this pain could not prevent Biles from dominating.
The twenty-one year old gymnast will not be stopped, and she has a plan. After seeking treatment for the kidney stone, Biles has decided to take a short vacation before returning to her rigorous conditioning.
Despite the fact that Biles’ success reflects positively on the the sport, all is still not well in the world of gymnastics. Just days after the 2018 World Championships came to an end, the United States Olympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland addressed members of the team in a letter that many believe should have come sooner. Hirshland explained that USA Gymnastics, the organization that presides over all things gymnastics, has failed “to change its culture, to rebuild its leadership and to effectively serve its membership," and therefore, the USOC plants to begin the process to revoke its status as the governing body of gymnastics.
Regardless of the scandal involving Larry Nassar, a former USAG national team doctor, who has been convicted of molesting many young gymnasts, and several substandard changes in leadership, the decertification of the USA Gymnastics administration is surprising in its timing.
After the initial accusation against Rachael Denhollander of abuse at the hands of Larry Nassar, hundreds of others came forward as well, amounting to 156 victim statements at Nassar’s trial in January. Simone Biles testified alongside Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Jordyn Wieber, Kyla Ross, Madison Kocian, Maggie Nichols, and Jamie Dantzscher. Nassar was then sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison, and it later emerged that several high-ranking USAG officials were made aware of the accusations against Nassar in 2015, but declined to inform the authorities or officials working at Michigan State University, where he also worked as a doctor. This resulted in the former USAG president Steve Penny’s arrest last month, as he was charged with tampering with evidence surrounding the Nassar investigation. Following Penny’s arrest came his resignation in March of 2017. Then December came, and with it, Kerry Perry, who took over for Penny. Perry was asked to step down in September of 2018 after promoting Mary Lee Tracy, a coach who continuously defended Nassar long after dozens of women had come forward, to a developmental coordinator position. USA Gymnastics knew they had to be cautious with who they appointed to their presidential position at this point, so they appointed Ex-Congresswoman Mary Bono as the interim president while they searched for someone to fill Perry’s shoes. However, the organization has proven that they cannot escape their past, as Bono was employed by the law firm that USAG hired after it discovered abuse allegations in 2015 and then never took action. In addition to this, the former Congresswoman sent a tweet criticising Nike and its support of Colin Kaepernick just days before being named USAG CEO. This chain of events presents a serious question: is USAG fit to lead and protect the gymnastics community? Sarah Hirshland and the USOC’s answer is no.
Despite the fact that the governing body of gymnasts around the world will now have to face a panel and prove that it is capable to do its job, gymnasts like Biles will continue to train for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 unfazed. Hirshland insists that the USOC will "ensure support for the Olympic hopefuls who may represent us in Tokyo in 2020." As of right now, only one thing is for sure: Even with the dark clouds of trouble that have plagued gymnastics for years, Team USA has continued to go for the gold with a ferocity and fire that will not change, even now.
By Rose Sanders