U.S. Olympic Committee Moves to Take Over USA Gymnastics

The U.S. Olympic Committee has taken steps to decertify the USA Gymnastics team's governing body after years of complaints about the handling of sexual assault allegations, The New York Timesreports.

The move, which is a "nuclear option," will give the USOC the right to take over the gymnastics team's management for an undetermined length of time.

"This is a situation in which there are no perfect solutions," USOC chief executive Sarah Hirshland said in a prepared statement to the Times. "Seeking to revoke recognition is not a conclusion that we have come to easily. In the short-term, we have to work to ensure that U.S.A.G. gymnasts have the support necessary to excel on and off the field of play. We are building plans to do just that."

"In the long-term, it will be the critically important responsibility of the recognized Gymnastics [national governing body], whether the existing organization or a new one, to lead gymnastics in the United States and build on the supportive community of athletes and clubs that can carry the sport forward for decades to come," the statement continued. "We are prepared to identify and help build such an organization."

Many of the assault allegations were made against national team doctor Larry Nassar, with more than 300 women and girls, including several Olympians, saying he had sexually abused them. This year Nassar was sentenced to decades in prison for his crimes.