USA Gymnastics hires new leader

Mired in scandal and a series of public gaffes, USA Gymnastics is hoping to turn things around with an NBA executive as its new leader.

The embattled organization named Li Li Leung as its president and chief executive on Tuesday, concluding a long search marked by hiccups and controversy.

“Li Li’s unique combination of business skills, management experience and passion for gymnastics make her perfectly suited to lead our organization at this important time in our history,” said Kathryn Carson, chair of the organization’s board, in a statement.

The national governing body’s troubles date to 2015 amid early allegations that former sports doctor Larry Nassar was molesting young athletes.

More recently, USA Gymnastics has faced a decertification process initiated by the U.S. Olympic Committee and has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an effort to settle a wave of lawsuits brought by women who say Nassar was not properly supervised.

“Like everyone, I was upset and angry to learn about the abuse and the institutions that let the athletes down,” said Leung, who was vice president of global partnerships for the NBA and a former USA Basketball executive. “I admire the courage and strength of the survivors, and I will make it a priority to see that their claims are resolved.”

An online youth sports resource, greatcoach.com, published a first-ofits-kind comprehensive list of coaches banned from Olympic sports. It created a database of nearly 1,000 people no longer allowed to work in the U.S. Olympic system because of sex-abuse allegations, doping positives and other criminal activities involving minors.