Ten years have passed since the crimes of former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar were brought to light, yet significant reform remains elusive. Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who in 2018 sentenced Nassar to up to 175 years in prison for the sexual abuse of more than 250 women and girls, has publicly condemned the current pace of institutional change. No more gymnasts returning to competition without a doctor’s note.
Speaking during the World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, Judge Aquilina emphasized that human rights must be placed above the pursuit of sporting success. She noted that after receiving 169 impact statements in her courtroom, it is clear that minor procedural adjustments are insufficient. According to the judge, the industry continues to prioritize money, medals, and notoriety over the fundamental safety of children. According to “Nassar was 10 years ago and there have been very few changes that are meaningful,”, Aquilina, who insisted on all 169 impact statements being heard in her courtroom after Nasser’s guilty plea. “I’m not looking for little changes that a lot of people get credit for, I want meaningful change, a lot of meaningful changes, and we’re just not there yet, not in sports, not in life, not in the courtroom, not in the classroom or in the legislature. “Then, on the other hand, you can measure it in the impact gymnastics had in all other sports. “Except, this is not a small problem, it is a severe problem and any fair assessment would have to say that sport, broadly speaking, including gymnastics, retains the exceptionalism the Catholic church and schools once had. “There was a time when it was really hard to get rid of the abusive priest or teacher because they were moved around to different jurisdictions and continued abusing.
Aquilina joined activists and representatives from Gymnasts for Change International (G4CI) to challenge the adequacy of ongoing reforms. Claire Heafford, chief executive of G4CI and a survivor of abuse, argued that the sports system is currently failing to listen to survivors, and that the scale of reform has not matched the scale of the original revelations. Winter and summer, i’ve interviewed hundreds of survivors in about 50 sports. That is why the scale and the duration of those abuse catastrophes was so great.
Heafford identified institutional fear and a lack of creative leadership as primary barriers to progress. She noted that rigid hierarchies make it exceptionally difficult for individuals within the system to advocate for change when faced with resistance from those in senior positions.
Minky Worden of Human Rights Watch observed that the reckoning triggered by the Nassar case has frequently manifested as defensive posturing rather than genuine structural transformation. It took the shape of defence, but the reckoning often took the wrong shape.
While she acknowledged improvements in athlete advocacy and whistleblower protections, she warned that implementation remains inconsistent. Worden further compared the current culture in sport to the historical issues within the Catholic Church, where systemic failures allowed abusers to move between jurisdictions unchecked.
Eloise Jotischky, a former elite acrobatic gymnast who successfully brought a civil case against British Gymnastics regarding abuse experienced between 2016 and 2018, highlighted that policy creation is not enough. She argued that while British Gymnastics has introduced hydration and weight management policies, their effectiveness depends entirely on strict monitoring and consistent implementation.
Kim Shore of Gymnasts for Change Canada echoed concerns regarding the apathy of international governing bodies. She urged World Gymnastics to implement explicit, culture-shifting regulations, such as bans on weighing athletes and preventing coaches who have been sanctioned in one country from moving their practice to another. But let’s implement them, that’s brilliant. “Sure, they’ve taken some steps, but they could post new rules anywhere that say: ‘No more weighing of gymnasts. According to “They could have a whole list of rules and regulations, even if they don’t have any sort of legislative jurisdiction in an area, that’s still going to influence the culture because as soon as the leading body, We’re not weighing gymnasts any more, then when the weighing gets done those coaches know they’re breaking the rules.
Advocates believe that if the international federation took a firm stance on these practices, it would provide national federations and local clubs the necessary support to enforce safer standards at the grassroots level. As World Gymnastics prepares for the departure of secretary general Nicolas Buompane at the end of the year, survivors are calling for this transition to serve as a turning point for tangible, system-wide accountability.
World Gymnastics, USA Gymnastics, Gymnastics Canada, and British Gymnastics have all been contacted regarding these ongoing concerns.
