A class action lawsuit is alleging the U.S. Olympic Committee headquartered in Colorado Springs tolerated sexual abuse, exploitation and forced labor.
The U.S. Olympic Committee is not specifically named as a defendant in the suit, but that could change as the suit moves forward.
The suit involves fifty plaintiffs who allege coaches and leaders from USA Diving knew about and tolerated the abuse. Plaintiffs allege one male diving coach sexually abused teenage female divers as well as a a female coach over the course of at least two years.
Tom Roeder is a reporter with the Colorado Springs Gazette. He’s covering the lawsuit.
“After athletes were abused it was reported up the chain, and it was known by USA Diving, and it may have be known by the United States Olympic Committee, yet nothing apparently happened,” says Roeder.
The suit says that the U.S. Olympic Committee along with USA Diving were quote “covering up complaints of sexual abuse, deferring and diverting investigations, and suppressing all questions about sexual exploitation by its coaches.”
The U.S.O.C. declined to provide comment for this story.
Find reporter Amanda Peacher on Twitter @amandapeacher.
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This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, Yellowstone Public Radio in Montana, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.
