USA Gymnastics Terminates Contract With Karolyi Ranch In Texas

HUNTSVILLE, TX — USA Gymnastics announced Thursday it has terminated its contract with Karolyi Ranch, and the Huntsville facility will no longer serve as the governing body's National Team Training Center.

"It has been my intent to terminate this agreement since I began as president and CEO in December," said Kerry Perry, USA Gymnastics President and CEO. "Our most important priority is our athletes, and their training environment must reflect this. We are committed to a culture that empowers and supports our athletes."

This move comes come off the heels of 2016 Olympic star Simone Biles revealed that she was abused by Larry Nassar, and said she couldn't bear the thought of training again at Karolyi Ranch.

"It breaks my heart even more to think that as I work toward my dream of competing in Tokyo 2020, I will have to continually return to the same training facility where I was abused," Biles wrote on her social media accounts.

The announcement comes during the trial of Nassar, a once-prominent Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics sports doctor and now convicted pedophile. Nassar, who is already serving a 60-year sentence on federal pornography charges, could get another 40 years after he pleaded guilty to molesting seven girls at MSU, his home and a Lansing area gymnastics club.

Nassar, 54, will be sentenced Jan. 31 on three similar charges in nearby Eaton County, and he also faces a spate of civil lawsuits.

Several high-profile gymnasts, including Biles and teammate Olympic gold medalist Ally Raisman among others, have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse from Nassar, who's medical credentials were pulled once the ordeal turned into a media circus.

Thursday's announcement alters the governing body's training schedule as new and future locations must be identified.

"We have cancelled next week’s training camp for the U.S. Women’s National Team," Perry said. "We are exploring alternative sites to host training activities and camps until a permanent location is determined. We thank all those in the gymnastics community assisting in these efforts."

Famed gymnastics coaches Bela and Marta Karolyi defected from Romania and created the ranch as a training facility in 1981.

Image: Martha Karolyi, national team coordinator for USA Gymnastics, watches over gymnasts during a training session at the Karolyi Ranch, in New Waverly, Texas. When Martha Karolyi took over the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics program in 2001, the Americans were an underachieving mess. Not anymore. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, FIle)