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Simone Biles, tears against the demons of gymnast abuse

The demons had caught up with her on the Tokyo dais. At the worst possible moment, what was to be of absolute triumph, the queen of gymnastics, Simone Biles it had to stop. If there is no head, neither does the body respond and you have to step aside. They were the demons, the word is the one used by her, who chase every champion, but for the girls of US gymnastics there are more of them than for others. For them there was a demon with name and surname, Larry Nassar. The doctor who abused them, who they helped convict, but also the whole system that protected him and not them.

Simone Biles’ tears before the Senate Justice Committee on the FBI’s negligence in the investigation of sexual abuse allegations are for this: not only Nassar, everyone else is guilty.

The multiple Olympic and world champion spoke of a “Whole system that allowed and perpetuated” the sexual abuse committed by Nassar. In fact, if the national team doctor has already been sentenced in 2018 to a sentence of between 40 and 175 years in prison for sexual abuse of more than 150 gymnasts, nothing has so far happened to the officials of the federation.

Not only did she speak. Three other gymnasts attended: Mckayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman. Everyone reiterated that there were no controllers or, if there were, they closed their eyes. The federal structures did not intervene and, even after the first complaints, they were slow in stopping Nassar.

“It really seems that the FBI has closed its eyes on us”, Simone Biles pointed out, “The message must be clear that if you allow a predator to harm minors, the consequences will be rapid and serious ». “What’s the point of reporting abuse if FBI agents bury that report in a drawer?” added Mckayla Maroney silver medal in vaulting at London 2012.

The first complaint dates back to 2015, but Nassar still had over a year to continue his abuse. The Senate investigates this failure to act. Also expected are the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Christopher Wray, and the Inspector General of the Department of Justice, Michael Horowitz. The latter, in a July report, said that several violations of the protocols led to months of delays that gave the doctor time for new abuses. For years the athletes have been denouncing the system. Simone Biles in an interview a few months ago said that if he had a daughter he would never send her to the US gymnastics team.

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