This archive report was first published on 30 July 2019.
On July 30, 2019, US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Jerry Moran announced plans to push for increased oversight of Olympic sports, following a Senate investigation into the handling of the Larry Nassar abuse scandal.
The proposed legislation aims to ensure the independence of SafeSport, the organization responsible for investigating allegations of abuse in Olympic sports. To achieve this, the bill would prohibit officials employed by the Olympic committee or a national governing body from serving in SafeSport. Additionally, SafeSport would be required to report any attempts by the Olympic committee or sports federation to interfere with its work within 72 hours.
The Senate bill also seeks to give athletes a greater say in the governance of Olympic sports. It proposes increasing athlete representation on the Olympic committee's board of directors to one-third from one-fifth. Furthermore, athletes would comprise one-third of the governing structures of Olympic-related sports federations.
The Senate investigation follows a blistering report commissioned by the Olympic committee in December 2018. The report accused two high-ranking US Olympic officials of failing to investigate, report, or stop Dr. Nassar despite learning of the allegations in 2015. One of these officials, Scott Blackmun, resigned under pressure in February 2018, while another, Alan Ashley, was fired in December 2018.
Steve Penny, a former chief executive of U.S.A. Gymnastics, resigned in 2017 amid the scandal and was arrested in October 2018 on charges of tampering with evidence. He has pleaded not guilty.
Senator Blumenthal criticized the Olympic committee for paying Scott Blackmun $2.4 million in severance, calling it 'inexplicable and inexcusable.' He urged the committee to recover the payment or avoid making it.
