Team USA's Night to Shine

(ATR) The United States Olympic Committee honors performances from the PyeongChang Olympics as it tries to overcome a sexual abuse scandal.

Acting USOC chief executive Susanne Lyons started the award ceremony mentioning the ongoing scandals that have touched multiple Olympic sports. Lyons took over the organization last month following the resignation of Scott Blackmun.

Gymnastics, swimming and taekwondo have been hit by high profile sex abuse scandals in recent years. The USOC had been criticized for its handling of the scandal in gymnastics of former Team USA doctor Larry Nassar. More than 200 female gymnasts came forward to give statements at Nassar’s sentencing.

"We pledge to you that we will do better," Lyons said to the Olympians in attendance. "We are making the necessary changes to not only support you but empower and protect you, we care deeply about you, but tonight is a celebration."

Athletes won six awards for achievements at PyeongChang 2018, while coaches were honored with two. Tom Kelly, vice president of communications at U.S. Ski and Snowboard won the "Building Dreams Award," and Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992 Olympic champion in figure skating, won the "Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award".

"I just want to split this [award] in five pieces with the other nominees," Oksana Masters, who won female Paralympic athlete of the Games, said in her acceptance speech. "This is not just a one-person award. It’s for all of you guys and every other female athlete here."

The event was hosted by Mike Tirico, who hosted NBC’s primetime Olympic coverage for the first time. Presenters for the event included former and current Olympians, USOC chairman Larry Probst, and LA 2028 chairman Casey Wasserman.

Two Olympic "superfans," NFL tight end Vernon Davis and actor Mr. T, presented awards and mingled with the Olympians. Davis has been an avid supporter of curling for years, while Mr. T garnered headlines for tweeting about becoming a fan of non-traditional Olympic sports in PyeongChang.

Presenting the final award of the night was First Daughter Ivanka Trump. She told the Olympians in attendance it was the "honor of a lifetime" to lead the U.S. delegation at the PyeongChang closing ceremony.

"For your talent, hard work, your passion you achieved that dream," Trump said before presenting.

The Trump Presidency was a lightning rod for multiple Olympians, who chose to stay away from the traditional White House visit that will end this week in Washington, D.C. Others have used the opportunity to present causes to lawmakers or take advantage of a small opportunity to speak to President Trump.

"My father was a Marine and it was really important for him that I come to the White House and take advantage of the opportunity," Elana Meyers Taylor, silver medalist in bobsled, said about the visit. "Not many people get to come to the White House, there was a time where African-Americans weren’t allowed in the White House, so the least I can do is accept an invitation."

Taylor’s sled partner Lauren Gibbs said she would tell President Trump "you have an incredible opportunity to do right by your country, and I hope that you do" if given the opportunity.

Matt Hamilton, a member of the gold medal winning men’s curling team, made sure to tell Around the Rings that he "personally did not vote for Trump" but is still honored to attend.

"I’m a true blue American, and it is going to be fun regardless of whose hand I’m shaking," Hamilton said.

Like Hamilton, women’s gold medal ice hockey captain Meghan Duggan told ATR that she was honored to have attended a White House state dinner between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron. Duggan said she did not say much to Trump during the dinner, but it was "really special" to attend.

"I said hello and thanks for receiving us," Duggan said. "I took a lot of pride of representing Team USA there, when we play for our teams we play for our entire country."

Snowboarder Arielle Gold and freestyle skier David Wise were part of a group of Olympics that took part in a Senate hearing on climate change. Both told ATR that they took a lot away from engaging with the legislative process, and were glad to have used their voices for a personal cause. Wise will miss the White House visit because of an archery tournament while Gold said she still had not decided if she would attend.

"I’m not naturally a person who wants to spend time around politics or on the Hill, but I feel like at the same time I have a responsibility to speak about the things that matter to me," Wise said.

"I got some time meeting with my own legislator so that made the legislative process so much more real to me."

Wise emphasized that it was important to see legislators that were skeptical of the effects of climate change hear from athletes with a platform. That kind of dialogue could further the issue along and get beyond partisan gridlock.

Gold described the opportunity to have lawmakers hear her opinion as "huge for me," and that her role as an Olympian pushed her to take this initiative. She said that she hopes other Olympians learn from the experience of the group to push lawmakers on "whatever they are passionate about".

"I just want to continue to learn as much as possible especially on the governmental level and legislative level because that's stuff that i’m not informed on as I’d like to be," Gold said. "I learned yesterday that a lot of these men and women in the government at the governmental level making these decisions do like to hear from their constituents [and this was] a bipartisan issue to talk [about]."

Written and reported by Aaron Bauer in Washington, DC

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