Amid sex abuse scandal, USA Gymnastics no longer will hold training camps at Karolyi Ranch

USA Gymnastics has severed its relationship with the famed Karolyi Ranch, which had long served as a national training center but also is the site where team doctor Larry Nassar is accused of molesting gymnasts.

Faced with concerns from gymnasts hesitant to return to the ranch, national gymnastics officials announced the move in a social media post Thursday afternoon.

“It has been my intent to terminate this agreement since I began as president and CEO in December,” stated Kerry Perry, the new leader of USA Gymnastics. “Our most-important priority is our athletes, and their training environment must reflect this.”

The post did not specifically mention Nassar, who on Thursday was in a Michigan courtroom listening to statements from victims in advance of his sentencing on seven counts of criminal sexual conduct.

As part of his team duties, Nassar had worked camps held on the Huntsville, Texas, property established by the husband-and-wife coaching duo of Bela and Martha Karolyi.

Some of Nassar’s accusers have said they were assaulted on the premises.

In a social media post, Olympic champion Simone Biles wrote of being molested and said, “It breaks my heart even more to think that as I work towards my dream of competing in Tokyo 2020, I will have to continually return to the same training facility where I was abused.”

At one time, USA Gymnastics had sought to purchase part of the ranch to keep it in operation after the Karolyis retired, but those plans were dropped amid the Nassar scandal.

On Thursday, Perry stated her organization is “committed to a culture that empowers and supports our athletes.”

“We have canceled next week’s training camp for the U.S. Women’s National Team,” she added. “We are exploring alternative sites to host training activities and camps until a permanent location is determined.”

david.wharton@latimes.com

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