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Libby Bailey, the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s adjunct manager of investigations, successful July wrote to erstwhile gymnasts and their parents astatine a suburban Chicago gymnastics nine that SafeSport was successful “the process of drafting the broad last report” pursuing a two-year probe into dozens of physical, verbal and affectional allegations against Anna Li, an alternate connected the 2012 U.S. Olympic squad and UCLA All-American, and her parent Jiani Wu, an Olympic medalist for China and erstwhile USA Gymnastics nationalist squad coach, according to an email obtained by the Southern California News Group.
“We inquire that you proceed to beryllium diligent arsenic we enactment done the accusation gathered successful the investigation,” Bailey wrote successful a July 19 email to gymnasts and parents. “We volition proceed to supply updates arsenic they go available.”
Yet astir 2 months aboriginal and much than 2 years since the U.S. Center for SafeSport received the archetypal of astatine slightest 30 complaints by much than a twelve individuals alleging repeated maltreatment of young gymnasts by Li, Wu, and different coach, Rebecca Thone, successful August 2019, SafeSport has not issued a ruling successful the case.
“They said the probe was implicit successful July and we’re successful September. What’s going on?” said Ed Fitzgerald, a erstwhile Legacy parent. “Inaction is akin to fundamentally letting them disconnected the hook. Inaction is giving them escaped rein, it’s saying everything is fine.”
Documents obtained by SCNG and interviews with erstwhile gymnasts and their parents astatine Legacy Elite Gymnastics, the suburban Chicago nine owned by Li and Wu’s family, besides contradict Bailey’s pledge to support families updated connected the presumption of the investigation.
Instead, it has often taken Bailey and different U.S. Center for SafeSport officials weeks and adjacent months to respond to aggregate emails and telephone calls from parents, gymnasts and their attorneys, if Center employees person responded astatine all, according to SafeSport documents and interviews.
Parents said they person not heard from Bailey since the July 19 email contempt aggregate requests for updates.
Gymnasts and parents said they are besides frustrated and outraged by SafeSport’s refusal to spot Li and Wu connected interim suspension contempt aggregate complaints that the coaches person allegedly continued to maltreatment and intimidate gymnasts since the Center took jurisdiction implicit the lawsuit successful 2019, according to interviews and confidential complaints filed with SafeSport.
Li, a erstwhile subordinate of the influential USA Gymnastics athletes council, tried to intimidate a erstwhile Legacy gymnast astatine an Illinois conscionable successful March, according to complaints and documents submitted to SafeSport. The gymnast and her parent person filed complaints with SafeSport alleging physical, verbal and affectional maltreatment by Li and Wu, according to SafeSport documents and interviews.
SafeSport has denied aggregate requests to spot Li and Wu connected interim suspension, according to documents and interviews. The astir caller interim suspension petition was made successful April, according to Fitzgerald.
“You person serious, superior carnal and affectional maltreatment allegations from a plethora of families,” Fitzgerald said. “At what constituent bash the rights of victims (equal) the rights of the perpetrators? Because close present the victims’ rights are getting stomped connected (by the U.S. Center for SafeSport) portion perpetrators get to tally chaotic and thing gets done. Zero. It’s similar everything is mean (at Legacy), nothing’s wrong.”
Bailey did not respond to a petition for comment.
An lawyer for Li and Wu besides did not respond to a petition for comment. Li and Wu person consistently denied immoderate wrongdoing.
Under the U.S. Center for SafeSport code, “Retaliation against anyone for engaging successful the Center’s processes is prohibited.”
“Retaliation,” the codification said, “includes threatening, intimidating, harassing, coercing oregon immoderate different behaviour that would discourage a tenable idiosyncratic from engaging oregon participating successful the Center’s processes erstwhile the Retaliation does not see good-faith actions lawfully pursued successful effect to a study of a Code violation.”
The codification besides allows SafeSport to spot individuals facing maltreatment allegations connected interim suspension, a protective measurement pending the result of the investigation, according to documents. Individuals placed connected interim suspension tin past petition a proceeding wrong 72 hours.
The hold successful U.S. Center for SafeSport issuing a ruling successful the lawsuit has besides caused anxiousness among galore erstwhile Legacy gymnasts, according to parents. Several gymnasts who allege they were abused by Li and Wu were included successful the aforesaid rotation arsenic Legacy astatine an Illinois precocious show campy Oct. 1-3.
“My kids are truly upset astir this, having to look them,” Fitzgerald said. “This has been hanging implicit these families for 2 years and present these (gymnasts) are going to person to look Anna and Jiani for the full camp?
“Either you judge (dozens) of families oregon you judge their lies but marque a decision. So we tin determination on.”
The archetypal complaints against Li and Wu were filed with USA Gymnastics successful July 2019. The U.S. Center for SafeSport took jurisdiction of the lawsuit a period later.
Gymnasts and their parents allege that Li disparaged gymnasts successful beforehand of their peers connected a “daily basis,” regularly called girls fat, pressured injured athletes to bid oregon compete, and threatened to marque antagonistic comments to assemblage coaches recruiting them if they struggled successful training, were incapable to bid oregon vie due to the fact that of injuries oregon illness, oregon appeared successful Li’s sentiment overweight, according to interviews with aggregate gymnasts and parents and U.S. Center for SafeSport and USA Gymnastics documents.
Wu connected aggregate occasions pulled young gymnasts by their hairsbreadth erstwhile she was dissatisfied with their training, including astatine slightest 1 juncture erstwhile Wu allegedly pulled a miss by her ponytail each the mode to the ground, according to interviews and aggregate complaints submitted to U.S. Center for SafeSport and USA Gymnastics.
“Hair was pulled and girls were perpetually body-shamed,” a genitor wrote successful a ceremonial ailment to SafeSport and USA Gymnastics.
Another genitor successful a ailment with SafeSport and USA Gymnastics said she witnessed “Hair pulling nether the guise of carnal coaching.”
Another ailment alleges a “child had portion placed implicit (her) rima for 2 hours” by the coaches.
Once Wu pushed gymnast Riley Milbrandt portion she was doing a handstand, sending her crashing into a equilibrium beam, according to the complaint. Milbrandt was erstwhile forced to basal against the partition by herself for 2 hours arsenic punishment and told she would not beryllium coached oregon talked to by the coaches, the ailment said. Wu told the different gymnasts successful Milbrandt’s grooming radical they would besides beryllium forced to basal against the partition if they spoke to their teammate, the study said.
Girls were made to beryllium successful an inflatable excavation artifact successful the country of the gym arsenic punishment if Li oregon Wu thought they were not moving hard oregon not making corrections, according to a complaint.
Gymnasts were forced by Li and Wu to bid and vie portion injured, according to aggregate complaints.
“Coaches thought they were supra the doctors,” 1 genitor alleged successful a ailment to SafeSport. “They told the girls that they cognize much than the doctors bash due to the fact that of the magnitude of clip they person been successful the sport. They said they ne'er needed lists from doctors, that they knew however to negociate each injuries. Therapy lists were torn up and thrown successful the garbage.”
SCNG reported successful August 2019 that apical USA Gymnastics officials person been alert of physical, verbal and affectional maltreatment allegations against Li and Wu since astatine slightest 2017, astir 2 years earlier than the nationalist governing assemblage has acknowledged.
Mark Busby, past USA Gymnastics wide counsel, and Toby R. Stark, past the organization’s manager for Safe Sport confirmed successful a bid of September 2017 emails that USA Gymnastics had received allegations of “verbal, carnal and affectional abuse” against Li and Wu.
The Busby and Stark emails contradicted statements by USA Gymnastics main enforcement serviceman Li Li Leung successful August 2019, denying that the enactment was alert of complaints against Li and Wu anterior to Li being named to USA Gymnastics’ precocious illustration athletes assembly successful June 2019.
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