New York (AFP)
Quadruple Olympic champion American gymnast Simone Biles called again on Saturday for an "independent investigation" to shed light on the sexual abuse scandal of former national team doctor Larry Nassar .
It all started with a simple tweet from the US Gymnastics Federation, wishing the gymnast at the 19 gold medals in the world championships a happy birthday, who turns 23 on Saturday, adding: "We know you are going to continue to impress us and write history! "
Simone Biles replied curtly, "What if you impress me and do the right thing ... conduct an independent investigation".
Earlier this month, Simone Biles, one of more than 300 athletes who sued USA Gymnastics for failing to protect them from Nassar, already demanded an independent investigation after the US Federation offered total compensation of $ 215 million. dollars (about 193 million euros) for all the victims of Larry Nassar.
A proposal qualified as "inadmissible" and "insufficient" by the lawyers of several hundred victims. One of them estimated that "this offer would allow all the protectors of Nassar like the former boss of the gymnastics federation Steve Penny and the former president of the USOPC (American Olympic and Paralympic committee) Scott Blackmun, to escape justice completely and pay nothing. "
Former national team doctor Larry Nassar abused 517 athletes between 1996 and 2014, including Simone Biles, and was sentenced in 2018 to terms ranging from 40 to 125 years in prison.
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