A new Netflix documentary will look into the disturbing world of sexual abuse in US gymnastics.
Directed by Jon Shenk and Bonnie Cohen - the duo behind Audrie & Daisy and An Inconvenient Sequel - Athlete A is a feature-length documentary that delves into the biggest sexual abuse scandal in the history of sports.
Available to watch on the streaming platform from Wednesday 24th June, the documentary follows the chilling case of convicted sex offender Dr. Larry Nassar, who abused hundreds - possibly thousands - of victims while employed by USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University.
Nassar's abuse stretched around the globe. He abused young girls at the London 2012 Olympics and at the USA Gymnastics' training centre in Texas. His victims include world-leading athletes Simone Biles and McKayla Maroney.
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Athlete A focuses on gymnast Maggie Nichols, dubbed "Athlete A" because she was the first to report Dr. Larry Nassar's abuse to USAG.
In March 2016, a team of reporters from The Indianapolis Star began investigating claims of abuse in USA Gymnastics.
By 2018, Olympic doctor Nassar was sentenced by Judge Rosemarie Aquilina to 40 to 175 years behind bars after hundreds of survivors spoke out about his crimes.
The investigation into USA Gymnastics' failure to protect its athletes resulted in dozens of coaches being banned, and the effects of the scandal still reverberate in the sport today.
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Athlete A looks at what happened in the interim periods, following the IndyStar reporters as they reveal "the extensive cover-up that allowed abuse to thrive within elite-level gymnastics", from the attorney who is fighting the institutions that neglected its athletes to the heroic whistle-blowers who refuse to be silenced.
Produced by Jennifer Sey, Serin Marshall, Julie Parker Benello, the documentary promises to be a gripping, devastating and important watch.
Athlete A lands on Netflix Wednesday 24th June.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: TV and Film, TV News, TV Entertainment, Netflix