Judge Aquilina says gymnastics lacks reforms — The Guardian

In Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Judge Rosemary Aquilina, who in 2018 sentenced former U.S. national artistic gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar to up to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing more than 250 women and girls, said changes in the sport have been insufficient. Against the backdrop of the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, she stressed that human rights must be more important than the pursuit of sporting results, The Guardian reports.

According to Aquilina, ten years have passed since Nassar’s crimes were exposed, but there have been few substantial reforms. The judge believes this is because money, medals and fame are prioritized over children’s safety, which she called a human right. After Nassar pleaded guilty, Aquilina insisted that the court hear all 169 victim impact statements.

Calls for systemic changes

In Rotterdam, Aquilina joined activists, survivors and representatives of Gymnasts for Change International. Its executive director, Claire Hefford, who survived abuse in sport, said survivors are still not always heard and that the scale of reforms does not match the scale of the revelations. In her view, resistance within governing bodies and the rigid hierarchy of sports organizations are hindering change.

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Human Rights Watch representative Minky Worden noted that sport has introduced some mechanisms to protect athletes, including safety rules and certain safeguards for whistleblowers. At the same time, she said, the main problem lies in enforcing these rules. Worden also said that the sports community’s response to revelations has often taken the form of self-protection.

The problem of enforcing rules

Former elite acrobatic gymnast Eloise Jotischky, who won a civil case against British Gymnastics over abuse she experienced in 2016–2018, including unacceptable weight-control practices and verbal abuse, said policies alone are insufficient without oversight and implementation.

Gymnasts for Change Canada representative Kim Shore called on World Gymnastics to undertake broad cultural reforms. Among possible steps, she named banning the weighing of gymnasts, preventing athletes from competing without a medical certificate, and banning coaches who are no longer allowed to work in one country from continuing to work in another. The Guardian sought comment from World Gymnastics, USA Gymnastics, Gymnastics Canada and British Gymnastics.