The year is off to a bad start for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). At the PyeongChang Games, the United States delegation achieved the slimmest harvest in the last 20 years, with 23 medals, including 9 gold. Following the return of athletes to the country, USOC Director General Scott Blackmun announced his resignation.
Officially, Scott Blackmun's departure is justified by health reasons. Aged 60, he is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. He himself informed USOC staff of this at the beginning of the year, via email. He was then forced to give up going to the PyeongChang Games.
The U.S. Olympic Committee explained its CEO's resignation as follows: "Given Scott's current health condition, we mutually agreed that it was in the best interest of Scott and the USOC to find a new leader so that we can immediately take on the urgent initiatives that await us.”
But the serious health problems suffered by the American, in office since 2010, are not enough to explain his departure. Scott Blackmun is today paying for his silence, some even mention his passivity, in the case of Larry Nassar, the former doctor of the American gymnastics team, convicted of having abused nearly 200 gymnasts for more than 20 years.
According to several American media, the director general of the USOC would have been aware of Larry Nassar's actions well before the scandal came to light. At the start of the PyeongChang Games, the question of his responsibility, and the possibility of his resignation, were discussed at the USOC press conference. Larry Probst, its president, had brushed them aside, repeating without weariness to maintain his confidence in Scott Blackmun.
The USOC press release, released Wednesday, February 28, insists: “The important work started by Scott must continue and deserves our full attention following the revelations of Larry Nassar’s repeated abuse over decades. »
Pending the hiring of a replacement, her position was given to Suzanne Lyons on an interim basis. A member of the USOC Council, she was tasked at the start of the year with chairing an internal investigation group into the responsibilities and dysfunctions revealed by the Larry Nassar affair.
