Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who handed Larry Nassar a sentence of up to 175 years in prison for the sexual abuse of more than 250 women and girls, has issued a stark warning that the gymnastics community remains dangerously unchanged. Speaking to The Guardian during the World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, Aquilina criticized the sport’s persistent prioritization of commercial gain and competitive success over athlete welfare. “Nassar was 10 years ago and there have been very few changes that are meaningful,” she stated, emphasizing that superficial adjustments are insufficient to protect young athletes from systemic harm.
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Aquilina, who famously insisted on hearing all 169 victim impact statements in her courtroom despite Nassar’s guilty plea, argued that the root cause of ongoing failures is a cultural obsession with “money, medals and notoriety.” She asserted that safety is a fundamental human right, not a negotiable quest for sporting glory. The judge’s comments land against a backdrop of survivors gathering in Rotterdam to demand concrete reforms, highlighting that the trauma of the Nassar era continues to cast a long shadow over the international gymnastics stage.
The judge’s intervention serves as a critical accountability check for USA Gymnastics and international bodies, challenging them to move beyond performative gestures toward structural overhauls. By framing the issue as a moral failure across sports, the classroom, and the legislature, Aquilina underscores that the protection of children cannot be secondary to institutional prestige. Her remarks demand that stakeholders recognize that without prioritizing safety above all else, the sport risks further eroding public trust and failing its most vulnerable members.
Source: The Guardian Sport
