Rachael Denhollander: More still to be done in gymnastics after Larry Nassar case

Former gymnast Rachael Denhollander says there is work to do to make the sport safer for children, and that there has not been “much tangible effect” from the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal.

In 2018, former US gymnastics team doctor Nassar was imprisoned for 300 years for molesting gymnasts.

Denhollander, now 37, was the first gymnast to go public with allegations against Nassar, in 2016.

In December, Nassar’s victims reached a settlement with USA Gymnastics.

As part of the settlement, among the largest ever for a sexual abuse case, the gymnasts are to receive $380m (£287m), and USA Gymnastics and the Olympic Committee will give board seats to survivors.

When asked by BBC Sport whether we are now closer to “things being better for children”, Denhollander, who has four children and is a lawyer and advocate for survivors of abuse, said: “I wish I could say that we are. There really has not been much tangible effect from the Nassar case.

“The conversations are starting and they’re being sustained more, and that’s a very positive and healthy thing. Impact on legislative policy on conviction rates, that has not trickled down yet. Impact on institutional reform has not trickled down yet.”

She added that the “impact on how we respond when it’s in our own communities is really the test”.

Read more here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/gymnastics/60684784