USA Gymnastics is trying its best to move on from the 2018 Larry Nassar scandal by redesigning the logo that has stood since 2003. The new logo was revealed on Thursday by CEO Li Li Leung at the governing body’s National Congress in Tampa, Florida where the U.S. Championships are taking place this weekend.
Leung was appointed CEO in 2019 and in the unveiling, she shared, “The movement starts here” is the tagline for the new visual, which includes a flame logo to represent the Olympics.
“The rebuild of our organization and our brand began several years ago when we adopted a new organizational mission statement: to build a community and culture of health, safety and excellence, where athletes can thrive in sport and in life,” Leung said. “This brand begins with who we are and who we are aspiring to be as part of our cultural transformation.”
In December, USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee finally reached a settlement with the survivors of the Nassar scandal with a $380 million payout. While no amount can heal the damage inflicted by the once sought after Nassar, the settlement, and now rebranding and rebuilding, seems like USA Gymnastics is finally trying to make up for the mishandling of abuse Nassar inflicted over years of serving the organization.
Nassar was also employed by Michigan State University of whom a large number of survivors also sued. The school reached a $500 million settlement with 332 survivors in 2018.
In addition to the lawsuit against USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University, 90 gymnasts have also filed a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation for more than $1 billion for the mishandling of the investigation into Nassar when the case was brought to them.
The scandal forced a multitude of changes within USA Gymnastics including the governing body having to file for bankruptcy in 2018 due to the amount of lawsuits being brought against them.
The United States has been known to produce stellar gymnasts, but following the scandal, the question at the forefront was “at what cost?” It is the hope that under a new board and CEO, the brand can show that the athletes’ mental and physical health come first and the medals come second when representing USA Gymnastics.