Two-time Olympian gymnast and sexual abuse survivor Aly Raisman is sharing her story of resilience and healing in a new television special, "Aly Raisman: Darkness to Light."
In the three-hour, two-part special Raisman recounts her journey to recovery and speaks with various survivors and experts on sexual abuse, including #MeToo founder Tarana Burke.
While she said she found the process of producing the special healing and rewarding, Raisman recalled being physically drained.
"I would be like laying on the couch or just in between interviewing survivors, and I just felt so sick and so tired," she told Reuters. "I'm trying to navigate how I can prevent from feeling like that, but also recognizing if I do feel like that, it's OK to feel like that."
Raisman, who won six medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, recognizes the pitfalls of her current passion.
"It has truly affected my personal life of speaking up about this," she said.
On Sept. 15, Raisman, along with fellow gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Maggie Nichols, told a U.S. Senate panel how FBI failures allowed USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar to continue sexually assaulting other girls and young women for more than a year.
Nassar was eventually tried and sentenced in January 2018 to up to 175 years in prison for abusing young female gymnasts who were entrusted to his care.
Raisman, 27, expressed frustration that more has not been done to investigate USA Gymnastics or the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) for covering up Nassar's abuse for years. She wants a thorough independent probe to hold the sports bodies and FBI accountable.
"It's scary to think about how many people knew that he was an abuser and didn't do anything. And that's what's really important for people to understand, is that it really took a village to protect a pedophile," she said.
"Without the answers, we can't believe in a safer future and we don't know if there are still people working there or working with other children that covered up our abuse," Raisman added.
The USOPC issued a statement saying it has implemented reforms after hiring a law firm to conduct an independent investigation.
Six years after first speaking out, Raisman said she is learning to love gymnastics again.
"I basically lived in the gym," she said. "There were some days I would train up to six to seven hours. I was so exhausted and just put everything I had" (into it).
"And so, I also think that some of the people in the sport who really let us down, it was really hard for me to ... separate that from my love from gymnastics."
"Aly Raisman: Darkness to Light" will air on the U.S. cable network Lifetime on Sept. 24. Lifetime is a unit of A+E Networks, a 50–50 joint venture between Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Co.
Reuters
Sat Sep 25 2021

US Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman testifies during a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General's report on the FBI handling of the Larry Nassar investigation of sexual abuse of Olympic gymnasts in Washington - Reuters Pic

Lebanese search for dead in devastated villages as Israel withdraws
Hezbollah says Israel was still occupying Lebanese territory and put the onus on the Lebanese state to get Israeli forces out.

China promises Latin America 'trustworthy' ties as Trump lays out demands
Beijing looks to improve its foothold in a region historically under the US sphere of influence.

Major risks loom as Trump upends US Russia policy
Washington's approach changes dramatically with the initial meeting between US and Russian negotiators.

Pope Francis has double pneumonia, complicating his treatment, Vatican says
Doctors say a polymicrobial infection occurs when two or more micro-organisms are involved and can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi.

Philippines' VP Duterte challenges impeachment before Supreme Court
Sara Duterte makes her first legal move to fight the case that could lead to her removal and lead to a lifetime ban from public office.

Motor racing - Hamilton steps out in red at unprecedented 10 team F1 launch
I feel so full of life, so much energy, because everything's new and I'm just focused on what is up ahead, Hamilton says.

UAE tells US' Rubio it rejects displacement of Palestinians
The UAE's stance matters as its one of four Arab nations that normalised ties with Israel during Trumps first term.

Taylor Swift wins recording artist of the year crown for fifth time
The megastar's "The Tortured Poets Department" record also topped four IFPI charts, the IFPI says.

More than $50 billion needed to rebuild Gaza, World Bank joint assessment says
Years of rebuilding work, including clearing unexploded ordinance and millions of tonnes of rubble lie ahead.

Malaysia’s AI data centre development to be impacted by recent US restrictions - Liew
Liew Chin Tong says the restrictions would not affect the development of the domestic data centre ecosystem as a whole.

Sweden's top court rejects Greta Thunberg lawsuit on climate action
A court cannot decide that the parliament or the government must take any specific action, the Supreme Court says.
![[COLUMNIST] Trump’s Gaza (pipe) dream [COLUMNIST] Trump’s Gaza (pipe) dream](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-10/51728873693_EMIR.jpg)
[COLUMNIST] Trump’s Gaza (pipe) dream
The Gaza plan is dangerous and counter-productive as it's merely another recipe for regional instability.

Sivasangari eyes new career-high in world rankings
After climbing to a career-best world number seven, national women's squash ace S. Sivasangari is determined to keep rising.

Outburst against Steven Sim: DAP will probe if there's a complaint - Loke
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke says the disciplinary committee has not received any reports related to the incident so far.

US judge will not block Elon Musk from firing federal workers, accessing data
The case raises questions about Musk's apparent unchecked authority as a top deputy to President Donald Trump.

Dozens of false killer whales stranded on remote Australian beach
Rescue crews trying to save the majority of the large dolphins that survived the ordeal, according to authorities.

Trump restricts AP access over Gulf of Mexico issue
The AP, citing editorial standards, says it would continue to use the gulf's established name.

China to fly back 200 nationals rescued from Myanmar scam centres, Thai official says
This is part of a multinational effort to crack down on illegal online operations run from the region.

Somber Tiger Woods back in action in TGL loss to New York GC
Tiger Woods makes his first start since the death of his mother when he competed in a TGL match at Palm Beach Gardens.

Brazil's ex-President Bolsonaro charged in alleged coup plot
A total of 34 people were charged, including several military officials.