Lawsuits allege USA Gymnastics, SafeSport Ignored Abuse Reports Against Former Coach
INDIANAPOLIS – Multiple lawsuits filed this week accuse USA Gymnastics and SafeSport, the national governing body for Olympic and Paralympic sports, of failing to protect gymnasts from alleged abuse by former coach Sean Gardner. The suits claim negligence in responding to repeated reports of Gardner’s misconduct spanning several years.
The lawsuits were brought by two former gymnasts,Finley Weldon,who publicly shared her allegations with the Associated Press,and 19-year-old University of Iowa student Hailey Gear,who is also seeking to come forward. They are seeking unspecified damages to cover injuries and treatment expenses. Several other former gymnasts have also reported abuse, with additional lawsuits anticipated.
The allegations detail a pattern of concerning behavior by Gardner, beginning as early as December 2017, when parents filed reports with USA gymnastics and SafeSport alleging he required lengthy hugs from girls after training sessions in Mississippi and ostracized a gymnast who refused.Further claims include an improper closed-door meeting with a gymnast where verbal abuse occurred, kissing gymnasts on the forehead, excessive alcohol consumption in front of athletes, sexually suggestive jokes, inappropriate social media contact, and stalking a gymnast after being instructed to cease interaction.
In January 2018, Gardner’s supervisor reportedly alerted USA gymnastics to “grooming behaviors,” yet he continued to coach. A further report concerning “improper behaviors” by Gardner was allegedly received by SafeSport in September 2020, but was not investigated.
The lawsuits also name Qiao, founder of Chow’s Gymnastics and former coach to Olympic gold medalists Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas, his wife Liwen Zhuan, also a coach at the gym, and their family corporations. The plaintiffs allege Qiao and Zhuan failed to adequately vet Gardner before hiring him and continued his employment despite complaints of inappropriate touching during spotting.
Chow’s Gymnastics stated Gardner passed a standard background check and was terminated after his suspension by SafeSport in July 2022, despite “there had been no finding of misconduct at that time.” Qiao and Zhuan have not yet responded to requests for comment.
The AP generally does not identify victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly.
