Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 sports
Wednesday 31 January 2018
Governor orders criminal probe of Texas gymnastics ranch

By JIM VERTUNO for not doing more to stop
Associated Press him earlier.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas The Karolyis established
Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the rustic estate in 1983 in
a criminal investigation Sam Houston National For-
Tuesday into claims that est, about an hour north
former doctor Larry Nassar of Houston, and eventu-
abused some of his vic- ally expanded it to 2,000
tims at the Karolyi Ranch, acres. USA Gymnastics had
a Texas facility that was planned to buy about 40
the training ground for U.S. acres, including training
women’s gymnastics. gyms, housing for up to 300
Abbott ordered the Texas athletes, and medical and
Rangers, the state’s top recreational facilities, but
criminal investigations unit, backed out in 2017.
to look into ranch, which When Martha Karolyi was
hosted training camps for elevated to national team
more than a decade until coordinator in 2001, she
earlier this year. The Walker installed a centralized sys-
County Sheriff’s Office is al- tem that required national
ready investigating. team members to make
Several gymnasts have said regular visits to the ranch
Nassar abused them at the for training.
ranch. Nassar was sen- In this Sept, 12, 2015 photo, a sign points down the road to the Karolyi Ranch near New Waverly, Gymnasts have said their
tenced to 40 to 175 years in Texas. Texas Gov. parents were not allowed
prison last week. More than Associated Press at the ranch.McKayla
150 women and girls have tions are thoroughly vet- Olympic champion Simone turn to the same training fa- Maroney, who won gold
said he had molested them ted and the perpetrators Biles and said she dreaded cility where I was abused,” in 2012, has said she was
under the guise of medical and enablers of any such the thought of having to Biles said in a statement. molested at the ranch by
treatment. misconduct are brought to return there to train. Other Nassar’s accusers have Nassar, starting when she
Abbott called the allega- justice. The people of Texas gymnasts have also said said he would use his un- was 13 years old. Biles’
tions “gut-wrenching.” He demand, and the victims they were abused at the gloved hands to penetrate teammates from the 2016
ordered the state investi- deserve, nothing less,” Ab- ranch. them and other inappro- squad, Aly Raisman and
gation because the claims bott said. “It is impossibly difficult to priate touching when they Gabby Douglas, also have
involve multiple jurisdictions The ranch is owned by for- relive these experiences were seeking treatment said they were abused by
and states. mer national team coor- and it breaks my heart for back, hip, leg, foot Nassar there.
“Those athletes, as well as dinators Bela and Martha even more to think that as I and other injuries. Victims An attorney for the Kar-
all Texans, deserve to know Karolyi. USA Gymnastics cut work towards my dream of blamed Michigan State, olyis did not immediately
that no stone is left unturned ties with the ranch earlier competing in Tokyo 2020, I USA Gymnastics and the respond to request for
to ensure that the allega- this month, a few days after will have to continually re- U.S. Olympic Committee comment.q

Dutch domination

Continued from Page 18

less,” he said. and 1,500 meters. He has “It will directly influence
History bears him out. The been ruled out of the Py- our chances for the med-
only other time the Neth- eongchang Games. Same als,” said Koops. And this
erlands broke into double goes for Pavel Kulizhnikov, time around, it looks like
digits over the past two who already won a World the opposition is in better
decades was at the 1998 Cup 1,000 and is also a shape, too. In the women’s
Nagano Games with 11. fearsome 500 sprinter. races going into the Olym-
OK, he said. “If it is less than Then again, some things pics, the Japanese are
12, we underperform. We are going against the definitely the No. 1 team,
can say that.” In one sense Dutch this year. with Miho Takagi and Nao
In this Friday, Feb. 21, 2014 file photo coach Arie Koops of though, it has become They had four clean Kodaira topping the provi-
The Netherlands, left, shouts directions to speedskaters Jan easier to haul in medals sweeps in Sochi in 10 pos- sional World Cup standings
Blokhuijsen, foreground, Sven Kramer, right, and Koen Verweij,
rear, as they compete in the men’s speedskating team pursuit since the mass start event sible events, including the and with the relay team
semifinals at the Adler Arena Skating Center during the 2014 has been added to the women’s 1,500 where the adding one world record
Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. program, bumping the to- top four were Dutch. It al- after another.
Associated Press tal from 36 to 42. most turned into an em- And the United States
And in an unexpected barrassment. especially will want to
“There is only one goal countless champions. boon for the Dutch, the Four entries per event bounce back from a humil-
and that is doing the best Yet even he knows that IOC’s punishment for Rus- were whittled to three in iating no-medal showing in
you can. The more, the the endless nights in So- sia’s doping program has some races this year and Sochi. Heather Bergsma
better,” Dutch skating chi’s Holland Heineken a direct and fundamental for the men’s 10,000 and has already won a World
technical director Arie House celebrating the likes impact on the men’s com- women’s 5,000 only two Cup gold in the 1,000 this
Koops said in an interview of Sven Kramer and Ireen petition. Look at the World per nation are allowed this season and Brittany Bowe
in Friesland, the pond- and Wust cannot be repeated Cup standings this year, time around. Gone is any is starting to hit her stride.
canal-ridden flatlands in every four years. and right on top sits Denis mathematical chance for And count on Joey Man-
the northern Netherlands “It is really more realistic Yuskov with five gold med- a sweep in the longest rac- tia as a medal contender
which have produced to talk about 15, or even als already in the 1,000 es on the track. among the men.q