Walden, Guthrie, Rodgers Statement on the Borders Commission Report on the USOPC

Statement

Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR), Subcommittee Oversight and Investigations Republican Leader Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), and released a statement following the exploratory report the Athlete and National Governing Bodies (NGB) Engagement Commission, or Borders Commission, released after a nine-month review.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) charged the "Borders Commission", chaired by former WNBA President Lisa Borders, to review the structure and governance of the Olympic and Paralympic community and deliver their recommendations.

"We commend the Borders Commission for completing this thoughtful and important work. The findings reiterate what we found in our bipartisan investigation last Congress -- that the USOPC failed to prioritize athlete safety, and that athletes were harmed as a result. That is simply unacceptable. Fortunately, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the National Governing Bodies for each sport have already made substantial progress addressing our recommendations, but important work remains. Now that the Borders Commission is complete, it is time for the Committee to hold additional hearings to explore changes made to date and discuss what Congress should do next," said Walden, Guthrie, and Rodgers.

Background:

The Energy and Commerce Committee report, titled "Nassar and Beyond: A Review of the Olympic Community's Efforts to Protect Athletes from Sexual Abuse," summarizes the committee's findings after concluding its year-long investigation and was released on December, 20, 2018. The committee's report is extensively referenced throughout the Borders Commission report and the executive summary is included as Exhibit B.

On March 5, 2019, Energy and Commerce Republican Leaders Walden, Guthrie, and Rodgers sent a letter to the Majority requesting the Committee hold hearings to continue the committee's oversight of the USOPC and NGB.

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