USA gymnastics 'enabled coaches to keep sexually abusing girls as young as 10 by repeatedly not reporting cases of abuse'

USA gymnastics 'enabled coaches to keep sexually abusing girls as young as 10 by repeatedly not reporting cases of abuse'



Organization allegedly failed to alert police after complaints were made
Investigation uncovered many examples of coaches attacking children
One case of alleged abuse was allowed to go on for up to seven years
They are facing questions over why they did not report coaches to police
Their sexual abuse policy dating back to the 1960s has also been slammed
USA Gymnastics says it's committed to promoting a 'safe environment'


By WILLS ROBINSON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 17:17 GMT, 4 August 2016 | UPDATED: 23:50 GMT, 4 August 2016



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3723954/USA-gymnastics-enabled-coaches-sexually-abusing-girls-young-10-repeatedly-not-reporting-cases-abuse.html




USA Gymnastics has been accused of enabling predators to carry on abusing young girls - even though officials knew they had molested youngsters in the past.

The organization responsible for selecting the Olympic team and managing thousands of gyms used by kids across the country allegedly failed to alert police after minors as young as 10 complained of attacks during training.

An investigation by the Indianapolis Star uncovered multiple cases of children suffering at the hands of their coaches - sometimes for up to seven years.

The sports governing body, which has 110,000 members, is now facing questions over why they did not flag the allegations to authorities - even though there are laws in every state about reporting child abuse.



Their policies for dealing with complains, which dates back to the 1960s, is also facing tough scrutiny.

USA Gymnastics would not disclose the total number of sexual misconduct allegations it receives every 12 months.

But records show the organization received complaints on more than 50 coaches and filed them in a drawer in its executive office in Indianapolis, the Star reported.

A complaint warned 2010 national Women's Coach of the Year, Marvin Sharp (pictured), should not be around children. But he was allowed to carry on coaching for four years. He killed himself in a jail cell
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A complaint warned 2010 national Women's Coach of the Year, Marvin Sharp (pictured), should not be around children. But he was allowed to carry on coaching for four years. He killed himself in a jail cell

One horrific example involved coach William McCabe.

A gym owner in Georgia warned US Gymnastics in 1998 that he should be 'should be locked in a cage before someone is raped.'

But the organization never reported the allegations to police, according to the report.

He then began molesting an underage girl in 1999 during his seven-year coaching career.

Eventually, McCabe was charged with molesting gymnasts, secretly videotaping girls changing clothes and posting their naked pictures on the internet.

He pleaded guilty in 2006 in Savannah, Georgia, to federal charges of sexual exploitation of children and making false statements and is now serving a 30-year sentence.

Another horrific case involved Mark Schiefelbein. The Indianapolis Star said a mountain of complaints had built up against him before he was charged and convicted with molesting a 10-year-old girl in Tennessee.

One of his victims, Becca Seaborn, who now lives in Brentwood, Tennessee, says she cringes when she watches the sport on television.

The 26-year-old, who says she was molested from the age of 10, says she hates when male coaches hug the competitors.

'I honestly have a hard time seeing that,' she told the Star.


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