Gymnastics will face a hearing that could lead to the organization’s demise after it decided against surrendering its status as the sport’s national governing body, the United States Olympic Committee said on Wednesday. In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said she is moving forward with the process to revoke USA Gymnastics' NGB status. There is no timeframe in the USOC bylaws for the process, and Hirshland said it could take "several weeks, perhaps a few months." "As I’ve said before, the path is not crystal clear, but our motives are – put simply, to ensure the NGB for gymnastics in the United States is the type of organization each gymnast and the coaches, trainers and club owners who support them, deserve," Hirshland wrote in an open letter to the gymnastics community. "As we’ve said before, this is a situation in which there are no perfect solutions," Hirshland said Wednesday. "Seeking to revoke recognition is not a decision that the USOC came to easily, but we continue believe it is the right action."
– USA Gymnastics has refused to give up its status at the sport's national governing body, so the US Olympic Committee has started what could be a months-long process to force it out. The USOC first moved to decertify USA Gymnastics earlier this month, saying the organization had failed to make the right changes after the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. The USOC says USA Gymnastics declined the option to voluntarily relinquish its status and instead asked questions about the hearing process, the New York Times reports. "This is a situation in which there are no perfect solutions," USOC chief executive Sarah Hirshland said in a statement. "Seeking to revoke recognition is not a decision that the USOC came to easily, but we continue to believe it is the right action." "The path is not crystal clear, but our motives are ... to ensure the NGB for gymnastics in the United States is the type of organization each gymnast and the coaches, trainers and club owners who support them, deserve," Hirshland said. Her next step will be to select a three-person panel with representatives from USOC's board of directors, the National Governing Bodies Council and the Athletes' Advisory Council to review the complaint and make a recommendation to the full USOC board, USA Today reports. USA Gymnastics, which is still seeking a new CEO, will remain the sport's governing body during the process. (A former USA Gymnastics president has been charged with evidence-tampering in the Nassar case.)