*As I mentioned the one big difference in the Olympics 2020 (2021) was the pandemic. There were other differences too. Those I will write about in a future blog posting.
In my blog posting of July 31 last, I wrote in awe of the Olympic participants, and indeed of Japan´s great management of the Olympics in extremely difficult circumstances.
I ended that posting with the comment...
* As I mentioned the one big difference in the Olympics 2020 (2021) and previous games was the pandemic. There were other differences too. Those I will write about in a future blog posting.
This last week, I have watched four former U.S. gymnasts, who with great dignity and poise presented evidence to the U.S. Senate Judiciary hearings on their experiences of being sexually abused by the U.S. National Gymnastics Team doctor.
That Larry Nassar abused young girls is appalling. What is SO UPSETTING for me however is that girls have complained about his sexually abusing young female patients since the 1990´s.
In the two plus decades since, there was cover up or collusion or whatever, so the truth never came out in all that time. And the man continued to abuse.
Eventually getting no satisfaction from anyone or any organisation former gymnast Rachael Joy Denhollande reported her experience in the Indianapolis Star newspaper in 2016 – some 20 odd years after her experience of abuse.
Her allegations were first denied by Nassar and those who had enabled him. However a floodgate of other complainants came forward, so it could not stay covered up any more. By this time 2016, there were on record at least seven formal complaints against Nassar, all of which had been ignored or covered up.
What
happened even after the news broke was in many ways even worse. The FBI investigated; several women made themselves available for interview. The FBI focused on only a few, and did not contact the other woman at all. One of those that was interviewed McKayla Maroney, found later that her statement had been altered substantially
After the investigation, the FBI concluded the doctor had no case to answer. They did not proceed further. Neither did the U.S. Justice Department.
All very upsetting stuff. And once again I ponder after all that, how composed those women were giving their evidence on such sensitive matters.
You can read or review it yourself should you care to. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/17/politics/grassley-garland-nassar-fbi-prosecutor/index.html
That is why I am not ready to write a tra la blog posting today; after all we know can happen to children and that they need to be listened to. To think as recently as 2016 dozens of people including the FBI and the Department of Justice in the U.S. ignored or worse actively covered or altered evidence they were given by gymnasts about Larry Nasser.
While this is upsetting, I think it needs to be acknowledged.
Even in what is usually a ´happy happy´ blog.
Namaste.
