Scandal-rocked USA Gymnastics announced Thursday it will no longer train gymnasts at the famed Karolyi ranch in Texas, where powerhouse Olympic teams were built and where some athletes say they were molested by the team doctor, Larry Nassar.
The move comes a few days after Simone Biles, the star of the 2016 games, revealed that she was abused by Nassar and said she could not bear the thought of training again at the Huntsville facility.
“It breaks my heart even more to think that as I work toward my dream of competing in Tokyo 2020, I will have to continually return to the same training facility where I was abused,” Biles wrote on her social media accounts.
In a statement, USA Gymnastics President Kerry Perry said the organization, which picks the Olympic and national teams, has “terminated its agreement” with the ranch.
“It will no longer serve as the USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center,” she wrote.
“It has been my intent to terminate this agreement since I began as president and CEO in December. Our most important priority is our athletes, and their training environment must reflect this. We are committed to a culture that empowers and supports our athletes.
“We have cancelled next week’s training camp for the U.S. Women’s National Team. We are exploring alternative sites to host training activities and camps until a permanent location is determined. We thank all those in the gymnastics community assisting in these efforts,” the statement said.
The facility was created more than 30 years ago by legendary gymnastics coaches Bela and Marta Karolyi after they defected from Romania. It became the training site for the U.S. national team in 2001 and for the Olympic team in 2011.
USA Gymnastics announced last year that it had abandoned plans to buy the property.