Introduction: On September 15, American women's gymnast Simon Byers and three other female gymnasts attended a congressional hearing as victims and testified about the "sexual assault case of the former team doctor of the American Gymnastics Team". In 2016, Larry Nassar, a former team doctor on the U.S. gymnastics team, was accused by multiple gymnasts of sexually assaulting 265 women over more than 20 years under the guise of "treatment." The sexual assault scandal shocked the world, and in 2018 Nassar was sentenced to 175 years in prison. The case did not end after Nassar was imprisoned. Investigations and accountability for relevant departments continue. FBI Director Christopher Ray admitted his mistake at the hearing and fired one of the agents involved. Biles, 24, has won 25 World Championship medals and seven Olympic medals for Team Usa. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she won 4 gold and 1 bronze. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Byers' withdrawal from the tournament several times has caused heated discussions. The following is a full translation of her hearing statement.
Byers swore an oath at the hearing picture from Reuters
Simon Byers:
Thank you to the Senate Judiciary Committee for giving me the opportunity to share my personal experiences here, and it is you who have made the public aware of the abuse crisis in amateur sports. Your commitment to the safety of all amateur athletes, including gymnasts, is commendable and vital to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again. I am sitting here at this moment and feel incredibly safe and comfortable.
My name is Simone Byers, and I'm a gymnast who has been trained in the sport. As a professional gymnast, I have had the privilege of representing the United States in several international competitions, including the World Championships and the Olympic Games. During my gymnastics career, I won 25 World Championship medals and 7 Olympic medals for Team USA. This record means a lot to me and I'm proud to represent my country.
I am also a survivor of sexual abuse. The root cause of my long-standing violations is the failure of congressional organizations to oversee the protection of athletes, and neither the U.S. Gymnastics Committee nor the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees have failed to perform their duties.
Nelson Mandela once said, "To know the soul of a society, one has to look at the way it treats children." It is these words that give me the strength to face you at this moment in the hearing. Today, I don't want any other gymnast, Olympian or individual of all ages to experience the suffering that I and hundreds of other victims endured before and after Larry Nassar's abuse.
To be clear, I blame not only Larry Nassar, but also the entire sports system for making his abuses a reality and perpetual. The American Gymnastics Association and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee knew I had been abused by their official team doctor long before I told them. In May 2015, my friend and teammate Maggie Nichols suspected I was also a victim and told Rhonda Faehn, the former head of the USA Gymnastics women's program.
Byers speaks at the hearing Image source video screenshot
It wasn't until the Indianapolis Star published an article in the fall of 2016 titled "Former USA Gymnastics Doctor Accused of Abuse" that I understood the seriousness of it all. However, as I prepared for the 2016 Rio Olympics on the U.S. Olympic team, neither the USA Gymnastics Association nor the FBI FBI contacted me or my parents.
Although others have been informed, the investigation is also ongoing. But I kept wondering, why was I only told after the Rio Olympics? This is the largest case of sexual abuse in the history of American sports. While the case is left to the FBI for independent investigation, it is clear that neither the Usain Gymnastics Association (USAG) nor the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has been properly investigated. The two organizations have been given the responsibility to protect athletes, but there is still no answer to the accountability for their dereliction of duty.
As you search for answers, I ask you to ask, "How much is a little girl worth?" "This question serves as a guide. That's a question that Rachel Dan Hollander (an American lawyer, former gymnast, and the first woman to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual assault) and many others has asked. Today I sit in front of the stage, trying to speak up so that no little girl will have to endure the unnecessary pain that I and countless others have under the guise of "healing" by Nassar. But we have been suffering. We still endure to this day because the FBI, the American Gymnastics Association, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee failed us.
Now that Nassar is in prison, those who let him go should also be held accountable, otherwise such incidents will continue to happen to other Olympic athletes. As I read the report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), I felt that the FBI had turned a blind eye to what was going on with us, but spared no effort to "turn a blind eye" to the USA Gymnastics Association and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees. Our message is clear: allowing sex offenders to harm children and the consequences of inaction are severe. We as athletes have had enough.
I would like to conclude with a concluding remark. The trauma caused by the abuse will continue to accompany all victims. As the only Tokyo Olympic participant among the speakers, Nassar's abusive behavior had a profound impact on my athletic performance. In the spring of 2020, the Tokyo Olympics were announced to be postponed by one year, which meant that in the extra 365 days of preparation, whether I went to the gym to train or receive treatment, this experience constantly reminded and affected me.
During the Tokyo Olympics, Byers withdrew due to medical issues
To ensure that I could still play in the midst of the series of confusion caused by the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, I made unimaginable efforts. But it turned out to be extremely difficult for me to travel to Tokyo without my family.
I'm a strong person and I'll stick with it, but I should never have endured the abuse of Larry Nassar alone. Yet I suffered on my own, which is why you need to investigate and condone this abuse.
Here, I would like once again to thank you for sharing my thoughts on the Senate Judiciary Committee. I sincerely thank everyone for working with survivors of abuse to prevent their recurrence.
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