Over 1,000 sexual abuse victims in gymnastics expected to call new helpline

AFP: More than 1,000 victims of sexual abuse in gymnastics are expected to call a new, global abuse helpline in its first year of operations, the sport’s president told AFP.
Morinari Watanabe was speaking at the Asian Games after Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics doctor, was handed a life sentence in January for sexually assaulting women and girls.
Nassar, 55, was accused by some 265 women of sexually abusing them over more than two decades. His conviction led to profound questions for gymnastics about how the abuse went undetected for so many years.In the wake of the scandal, Watanabe outlined plans to establish a call center that “an athlete or parent can call” from anywhere in the world.
“I think that in the first year more than 1,000 will call to report sexual harassment,” said Watanabe, who heads the international gymnastics federation (FIG).