US President Donald Trump on Saturday signed into law a bill designed to give Olympic athletes greater protection and more input into decision making in the wake of the Larry Nassar gymnastics sexual abuse scandal.
The Empowering Olympic, Paralympic and Amateur Athletes Act increases funding for the US Centre for SafeSport and creates more athlete representation on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) board and sport National Governing Bodies (NGB).
If both fail to follow up on reforms, new mechanisms will be in place to allow Congress to dissolve the USOPC board and decertify NGBs.
USA Gymnastics is still reeling from the scandal that involved former team doctor Nassar, who was sentenced to up to 300 years in prison in 2018 after more than 350 women testified about abuse at his hands.
The bill followed an 18-month bipartisan investigation that found Nassar was able to assault hundreds of girls and women because of a lack of transparency and accountability among US Olympic officials, coaches and trainers.
The bill’s authors Republican senator Jerry Moran and Democrat senator Richard Blumenthal said they were pleased to see their “sweeping reform legislation” signed into law and praised the athletes who had testified before Congress.
