Los Angeles: More than 100 survivors who went public with gut-wrenching stories of abuse by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar joined in a show of solidarity here Wednesday as they accepted an award for courage at the annual ‘ESPY’ ceremony.
The honorees smiled, held hands and exchanged hugs as they filled the stage at the glitzy event attended by top athletes and celebrities here.
“It is a privilege to stand up here today with my sister survivors as we represent hundreds more who are not with us tonight,” said gymnast Sarah Klein, the first known victim of Nassar.
Klein, softball player Tiffany Thomas Lopez and three-time Olympic gold medallist Aly Raisman spoke on behalf of the 141 survivors as they received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, an honour named after the late tennis star and presented to people who make an impact beyond the playing field.
Raisman recounted the years that girls and women complained about Nassar while he served as a team doctor for USA Gymnastics and at Michigan State University. “From 1997 till 2015. All those years we were told ‘you are wrong, you misunderstood,” Raisman said. “We persisted and finally someone listened and believed us,” she added as audience members wiped away tears and gave the group a standing ovation.
Nassar pleaded guilty in November 2017 to molesting female athletes under the guise of medical treatment in incidents dating back to the 1990s and was sentenced to life in prison.
Authorities said Nassar abused more than 260 women and girls. Nearly 200 of them gave often emotional testimonies during sentencing hearings earlier this year.
Nassar, 74 has been sentenced to 175 years in prison in addition to the 60-year sentence for possessing child porn.