Congress investigating USA Swimming’s handling of sex abuse cases

USA Swimming, the sport’s national governing body, is being investigated by the U.S. House of Representatives, as Capitol Hill expands its focus on sexual abuse within the American Olympic movement.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce informed USA Swimming president and chief executive officer Tim Hinchey on Friday that it is “investigating matters related to sexual abuse within organized sports, including USA Swimming.”

“The abhorrent abuses associated with USA Gymnastics, as well as allegations in 2014, when 19 swimmers said they were sexually abused by their coaches, may raise concerns about whether your organization has sufficient mechanisms to protect your athletes from abuse and mistreatment. Accordingly, the Committee is seeking information from USA Swimming because of the role it plays in overseeing swimming and protecting all of its athletes,” the committee wrote.

The committee on Friday asked USA Swimming to provide answers to three primary questions by Feb. 9: “When was USA Swimming made aware of sexual abuse allegations in 2014, is USA Swimming aware of any other sexual abuse allegations within the swimming community, and does USA Swimming have policies and procedures in place to properly report, handle, and investigate sexual abuse when it has been reported to them?”

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Photo by Lorie Shaull