New president wants athletes to speak up
Leung engineering culture shift after Nassar scandal
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Li Li Leung wants Simone Biles to speak up whenever, however and wherever the Olympic gymnastics champion sees fit.
It’s a freedom that Leung, USA Gymnastics president and chief executive officer, stressed isn’t reserved for the sport’s biggest star. If the embattled organization truly is going to make a cultural shift in the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal, Leung believes giving agency to all involved — from athletes to coaches to parents to club owners — isn’t just encouraged but required.
“Historically, our organization has silenced our gymnasts and I am 100% supportive of giving our athletes a voice,” Leung said Thursday in her first extended public remarks since taking over in March. “Our athletes should be able to say what they feel and be comfortable doing so. I understand that we have let down many athletes, we have let down Simone, and she needs time to heal from that. If voicing her concerns and her feelings is one way to do that, I am completely supportive of that.”
Biles took USA Gymnastics, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the FBI to task on Wednesday, angry over the findings in a congressional report that revealed a series of mistakes that allowed Nassar — a former team doctor for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University — to abuse athletes even after victims began to come forward.
“You literally had one job and you couldn’t protect us,” said Biles, who is among the hundreds of women abused by Nassar under the guise of medical treatment.
Leung understands Biles’ anger and her importance as a leading advocate for change.
In a way, Leung’s relationship with Biles mirrors the challenges she faces as the organization’s fourth president and CEO since March 2017. Leung played no role in creating the environment that let Nassar’s behavior to run unchecked for so long.
Yet Leung, a former collegiate gymnast, came forward anyway in an attempt to steer USA Gymnastics forward. The organization filed for bankruptcy last November to consolidate the dozens of civil lawsuits filed against it by Nassar victims, a move that also stayed the USOPC’s attempt to strip USA Gymnastics of its role as the sport’s national governing body.
The lawsuits are now in mediation in federal court in Indiana, something Leung hopes can be resolved in a “relatively efficient and short amount of time.” Leung said the organization remains in contact with the USOPC about the steps it is taking to re-create itself.
“We need to take steps to demonstrate why we should remain the NGB of gymnastics,” she said, citing leadership stability, financial stability, athlete safety and rebuilding trust within the community.