Simon Piles and other gymnasts who were sexually abused were harshly critical of the FBI and sports officials

U.S. athletes Simon Byles, McClellan Maroni, Maggie Nicholas and Ali Riceman on Wednesday strongly condemned the inaction of sports officials and federal police in preventing the sexual abuse of former U.S. women’s team doctor Larry Nasser on young athletes for two decades. .

“We were disappointed, we owe an explanation,” said 24-year-old Simon Byles before a Senate committee looking at the “failures” of the investigation.

Larry Nasser, 58, is serving a life sentence at Michigan State University and the Gymnastics Club for sexually abusing more than 250 gymnasts in 2017 and 2018. In Lansing where he worked.

The Justice Department’s study report, an independent body, was very harsh on the local FBI office in Indianapolis, where the boss of the Gymnastics Federation first made the allegations against Osteopath in July 2015.

The trial ended in September and another report was needed eight months after a new trial was successful.

“I’m responsible for Larry Nasser, the entire organization that allowed and perpetrated these abuses, the American Gymnastics Federation and the American Olympic Committee,” said Simon Byles, a major multi-gold medalist champion.

“What is the value of a little girl?” She asked during a testimony.

McClellan Maroni, meanwhile, focused his anger on the local FBI office, which gathered his testimony with specific details about the attacks.

“Not only did the FBI not investigate, but when (federal agents) finally released a statement 17 months later, they made false statements about what I said,” the accused said. The 25-year-old former gymnast was attacked. She was 13 years old.

False her testimony, she said, “these FBI agents committed a crime,” and she denounced the lack of sanctions imposed by the judiciary for “refusing to prosecute” these police officers.

Ali Riceman, who has been attacking since 2010, condemned Larry Nasser in 2015 for the federation.

Still, “it took me 14 months for the FBI to contact me despite several requests to testify,” the 27-year-old said.

Maggie Nicholas, 24, was the first to report that she had been sexually abused, adding that “many women and girls suffered even after I reported my attacks.”

The Senate panel is also set to hear from FBI Director Christopher Wei and Chief Judicial Inspector Michael Horowitz.