"Over 250 victims": The worst-ever minor sexual assault scandal in history, with a 175-year prison sentence handed down, but... "Nothing has changed," anger erupts

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Ten years have passed since the worst large-scale sexual violence case to shake the gymnastics world came to light, yet the atmosphere suggests that there has been no substantive change in the sports community. There is a sharp criticism that the sports field still prioritizes money, medals, and honor over children's safety and human rights.

The British media outlet "The Guardian" reported on the 20th (Korean time) that Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who had sentenced former U.S. gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar to a maximum of 175 years in prison on charges of raping over 250 women and minors in 2018, criticized that meaningful change remains lacking even ten years after Nassar's crimes were exposed.

The outlet conveyed that "amid the ongoing World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Judge Aquilina emphasized that human rights must take precedence over success in sports."

Furthermore, Judge Aquilina pointed out, "Ten years have passed since the Nassar incident, but there has been almost no meaningful change," adding, "We want substantive change, but we have not yet reached it—whether in sports, life, the courtroom, the classroom, or the legislature."

She then raised her voice, saying, "One cannot help but ask why. It is because money, medals, and fame take precedence over children's safety. Safety is a fundamental human right."

According to local reports, Judge Aquilina visited the site of the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where she was known to have protested the sluggish reform in the sports community alongside activists and survivors from the victims' group "Gymnasts for Change International (G4CI)."

Claire Hipps, CEO of G4CI and a victim of the Nassar case, criticized, saying, "We are still in a place where survivors' voices are not properly conveyed. The scale of reform has never matched the scale of the truths that were exposed. Within a fixed hierarchy, those who seek to create change from within the system inevitably face resistance."

Minki Wardan of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) also pointed out the closed nature of the sports community. Wardan emphasized, "Rules may exist, but implementation on the ground is nonexistent," adding, "Sports as a whole, including gymnastics, maintain the same exceptionalism once enjoyed by the Catholic Church or schools. The structural problem where perpetrators moved to different jurisdictions to continue their abuse is being repeated in exactly the same way in the sports world."

Eloise Trottier, a former gymnast who won a civil lawsuit against the British Gymnastics Association for improper weight management and verbal abuse, stated, "The British Gymnastics Association has introduced policies on hydration and weight management, but what matters is implementation," sharply asking, "What good are policies if they are not implemented and monitored?"

Kim Shore of a Canadian victims' group also urged, "Only when international bodies introduce and vigorously enforce codified regulations—such as banning forced weigh-ins for athletes, restricting returns without a doctor's note, and preventing sanctioned coaches from moving abroad—will the culture change."

With the leadership of the federation on the verge of changing, the judge who led the trial ten years ago and survivors have reunited at this World Championships venue, intensifying calls for reform against the international sports community that has neglected athlete protection while being mired in a results-oriented mindset.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original