Athlete A was heartbreaking, and it absolutely should be required watching for those that cling to the “But it was 20 years ago!” defense.
Predators are predators. I was infuriated when I happen to catch on the news a couple of reporters tirelessly complaining that Ghislane Maxwell should have been released on bond “because we’re talking 25 years ago” and she was living in New Hampshire “so, hardly a flight risk”.
Seriously? She has unlimited finances, 5 passports and is a French National. Those poor girls suffer with the memory of their abuse every day.
I also highly recommend Believed - I think it really helps break things down, in terms of “how did this happen.” I haven’t had the chance to watch Athlete A yet, but Believed was so powerful it left me with a visceral feeling that I couldn’t shake. Absolutely horrible things these kids endured.
Reviving this thread because I just watched Athlete A. People who doubt why girls report and why we need SafeSport (even if imperfect) should all watch this. Just horrifying. I’d encourage older girls to watch it too, we need them to understand how the pressure and grooming dynamic can work.
if you want to know why we need safe sport look at the reactons ( on FB and COTH site) to the recent item in COTH discussing the Ice Skater from Russia. People still dont get it why THEY should be inconvenienced to take SS in order to participate. People are more than happy to turn a blind eye to what we are fighting
When I was a gymnast I meet the Karolyis and Nassar I could automatically tell something was up with them. I was friends with him(Nassar) on Facebook. I talked to him about my ACL injury and he would suggest exercises for me to do and invited me to come to Michigan for him to look me over and see what else could be done so that I didn’t have to retire from gymnastics. My mom said let’s first try PT in Wisconsin then if all else fails we can go. Thank goodness I listen to her and stayed home.
@EmilyM so this is an ethical issue that sports medicine physicians and team doctors deal with everyday. The answer to your question (and this may be an unpopular answer) is that elite athletes, unless they are very lucky, will all deal with injury (sometimes severe) and have cultivated a mental point of view (sometimes called toughness) to keep going. And some of the injuries including career-ending ones are a direct result of their chosen sport (CTE in American football players and Parkinson’s disease in elite soccer players are great examples). University team doctors are in a particularly difficult position, as they supposed to be treating student athletes. HOWEVER, in those cases we are talking about adults (although neuroscientists and university officials debate the decision-making capabilities of 18 y olds) who theoretically can make their own decisions. But… if you’ve ever been in the treatment room with an elite American football player, the team MD, the coach and the player’s agent … well let’s just say the situation gets tense.
However, I’ve been talking about adults, even young adults. Minors under 18 are another situation, and perhaps one solution is to ban minors from the Olympics (an unpopular solution that frankly will never get approved). But even the NFL football players that go on to develop CTE usually had their first concussion as a kid, usually in high school football or even as young as pop Warner.
So unfortunately the sacrifice of one’s health to sport is not just an Olympic thing. But… I firmly believe children should be protected, especially from sexual predators. And sadly, it’s not just athletics. Take a look at the world of the elite ballerinas, who peak in their teenage years or very young adulthood.
Edits: I cannot type on my phone… oh the autocorrect.
I’m listening to Heavy Medals now. It’s eye opening to say the least. I always new there were issues with gymnasts needing to stay at pre-pubescent weights etc… but hearing it is another story.
It made me cry, just actually sob. I didn’t just feel for the girls/women but also for the parents who supported their children in the sport and found out the girls had been assaulted.
My mother was not from the horsey background but she did skiing at a high level through her junior years. She always wanted to protect me but she also wanted to support me. Situations of abuse when you are with trainers and look up to these people and trust them is rampant.
The amount of victim blaming on these young women/men who were taken advantage of is sick. How can someone type hate against children, who were abused by a predator. How could they support that person and spew such hate?
Safe sport is there to protect children. Why people have any push back against protecting children from predators is insane to me. Why people are angry that cases are coming up from years ago is bonkers. Oh you’re mad that your idol is coming under fire because they took advantage of a child? For all the people reported just think of the amount of people that stayed silent about their abuse.
