Sunday, January 21, 2018

Olympic and athlete updates

In the past week, USA women's Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles, Maggie Nichols and Jordyn Wieber have come out publicly saying they have been the victim of sexual abuse by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. 156 women have testified by reading impact statements in court prior to Nassar's sentencing. Nassar was sentenced to 40-175 years for molesting women over a decade and a half. This sentence is on top of the 60 year prison sentence Nassar received for child pornography in December 2017.

USA Gymnastics will no longer use the Karolyi ranch in Texas and has cancelled USA national training camps scheduled there this month. The ranch is permanently closed. USA Gymnastics will be looking for another venue to hold these training camps. In May 2017, USA Gymnastics decided not to buy the ranch from the Karolyi's
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Jay Binder, Paul Parilla and Bitsy Kelly resigned from the USA Gymnastics Board of Directors in light of the Larry Nassar abuse scandal. The rest of the board resigned on Friday January 26, 2018 in response to the USOC's demand that the entire USA Gymnastics board resign by January 31 or USA Gymnastics would be decertified.

More fallout- John Geddert has been suspended by USA Gymnastics for possible links to the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal. Geddert was the 2012 USA Women's Gymnastics team coach. Michigan State President Lou Anna Simon and Michigan State Athletics Director Mark Hollis have both resigned. Michigan State University will be investigated by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette in response to the fallout from the Larry Nassar scandal.

US Olympic Skier Julia Mancuso retired from the sport after not being able to qualify for the 2018 Pyeongchang games. Mancuso missed the past two seasons due to a hip injury. Mancuso won four Olympic medals during her career. Mancuso will be a reporter for NBC's Olympic team covering the games. Also USA men's Skier Bode Miller retired as well.

USA women's 100 hurdler and winter games participant Lolo Jones will return to track and field to try to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo games.

North and South Korea will compete as one nation for the Pyeongchang games. Twenty-Two North Korean athletes will join South Korea in women's Ice Hockey, Figure Skating, Speed Skating and Alpine/Cross Country Skiing. The two nations will march as one in the opening ceremony.

Viktor Ahn, a Russian Speed Skating star has been banned from the Pyeongchang games by the IOC due to the fallout from the Russian doping scandal at the 2014 Sochi games. Ahn used to compete for South Korea and has won 6 gold medals and 8 medals overall in speed skating.

Valeri Luikin has resigned as head of USA women's gymnastics National Team. Luikin resigned in part because of the pressure brought on by the Larry Nassar sex scandal. No successor has been named.

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