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U.S. NEWS Thursday 24 May 2018

Lawmakers: Funding, urgency lacking in Olympic abuse crisis

center received 20 to 30 — Part of the delay in open- the organizations. Under
calls a month. ing the SafeSport center terms of a recently passed
In the wake of the #MeToo came because the USOC law to protect athletes,
movement and the Nassar met reluctance from almost the NGBs are supposed to
case, that has increased everyone in funding, both be audited randomly by
to about 20 to 30 calls per from outside and inside the SafeSport center, but
week. the Olympic movement. that project is hamstrung
— SafeSport operates on The NGBs are charged on because resources do not
a budget of $4.3 million a a sliding scale, depending exist.
year, $1.55 million of which on their size. USA Swimming Meanwhile, the role of the
was recently added as part contributed only $43,000 USOC in overseeing it all re-
of the USOC's mission to this year, "but we're one of mains confusing.
bolster its response to the the larger NGBs, and based Brought up more than once
abuse issue. That brought on who we are, we could was an exchange during a
the USOC's contribution to provide more resources," deposition for a sex-abuse
$3.1 million. (By compari- CEO Tim Hinchey said. lawsuit in which a USOC
U.S. Center for SafeSport President and CEO Shellie Pfohl testi- son, the USOC gave the Pfohl said she wouldn't turn lawyer was asked if pro-
fies before the House Commerce Oversight and Investigations U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, it down. tecting athletes was a top
Subcommittee about the Olympic community's ability to pro-
tect athletes from sexual abuse, on Capitol Hill in Washington, in charge of Olympic drug Meanwhile, she is still wait- priority for the federation.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) testing in the United States, ing for paperwork to apply "The USOC does not have
$3.7 million in 2016. Its bud- for a $2.5 million grant the athletes," answered Gary
By EDDIE PELLS to talk to you," said Carter, get is more than $19 mil- government wrote into this Johansen — speaking to
AP National Writer who represents the district lion.) year's budget. (The govern- the reality that, except dur-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The where a lawsuit that trig- — The budget is enough ment gave $9.5 million to ing the Olympics, athletes
tears and anger this time gered the mushrooming for 14 full-time employees, USADA in 2016.) technically fall under the
came from lawmakers who scandal in gymnastics was which includes five full-time The witnesses testified to a umbrella of their individual
spent the day fuming over filed. investigators. Seven addi- continued lack of unifor- sports.
a growing sex-abuse prob- In fact, members on the tional investigators work on mity in sex-abuse policies Lyons said that mindset will
lem in Olympic sports that panel of U.S. sports execu- a contract basis. The cen- among the NGBs, despite change.
leaders have taken too tives did apologize to the ter has fielded 840 reports efforts that date to at least "We do hold ourselves re-
much time to solve while victims, whose numbers over 14 months. Reports 2013. Some publish full lists sponsible, and if there's a
devoting too little money grow almost daily and have come in regarding 38 of banned coaches and failing, it's from not properly
for the fixes. whose pain was most heart- of the 49 national govern- athletes. Some distribute exercising our authority,"
"I just hope everyone here wrenchingly displayed dur- ing bodies. them only to members of she said.q
realizes the time to talk ing the sentencing hearing
is over, and you need to for Larry Nassar, the Michi-
walk your talk," Rep. Deb- gan State doctor who also
bie Dingell, D-Mich., said worked for the U.S. gym-
Wednesday shortly after nastics team.
choking back tears while But set against the USOC's
questioning leaders of the slow-moving reforms, to say
U.S. Olympic Committee, nothing of the raw numbers
USA Gymnastics and the presented by SafeSport
U.S. Center for SafeSport. CEO Shellie Pfohl, some of
The hearing of the House the apologies felt hollow.
subcommittee was filled The USOC started talking
with both substance and about reforming its sex-
spectacle — the latter abuse policy in 2010 after
coming mostly courtesy a scandal was exposed in-
of a five-minute burst from side of USA Swimming. From
Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., then, it took seven years to
who told the USOC's acting open the SafeSport center
CEO, Susanne Lyons, "you to independently inves-
should resign your position tigate sex-abuse claims
now," and tore into USA made by Olympic ath-
Gymnastics CEO Kerry Per- letes. Pfohl described an
ry and the rest of the panel office that has been over-
for not uttering the exact whelmed in the 14 months
words: "I'm sorry." it has been in business. Witnesses prepare to testify before the House Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcom-
mittee about the Olympic community's ability to protect athletes from sexual abuse, on Capitol
"If you don't want to say — When it opened in Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 23, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
you're sorry, I don't want March 2017, Pfohl said the