Olympic investigations and lawsuits over the past three decades have centered on four recurring problems: sexual abuse within national governing bodies, bribery in host-city bidding, biased or corrupt judging, and misuse of Olympic trademarks. The resulting cases have produced more than $1 billion in settlements, a federal reform law, the expulsion of IOC members, and ongoing litigation in federal court.
The Larry Nassar Cases and Over $1 Billion in Settlements
The largest legal reckoning in Olympic history grew out of the abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics national team doctor. More than 265 people have said they were victimized by him, and the resulting lawsuits produced settlements with three major institutional defendants.1NBC News. Larry Nassar’s Victims Reach $138.7 Million Settlement Over Botched FBI Probe
Michigan State University agreed to pay $500 million to more than 300 women and girls in 2018. USA Gymnastics and the USOPC reached a $380 million settlement in December 2021, confirmed at a bankruptcy court hearing in Indiana. Claimants included Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, and McKayla Maroney. The deal allowed USA Gymnastics to exit the bankruptcy it had filed for in 2018, and included a $5 million USOPC commitment to implement reforms along with provisions to designate board seats for survivors.2Sport Resolutions. Nassar Victims to Receive $380M Settlement From USA Gymnastics In April 2024, the Department of Justice agreed to pay $138.7 million to settle 139 claims arising from the FBI’s failure to properly investigate Nassar when agents first received reports in 2015.1NBC News. Larry Nassar’s Victims Reach $138.7 Million Settlement Over Botched FBI Probe Combined, the settlements exceeded $1 billion.3WILX. Government Settlement Brings Total Nassar Payout Over $1 Billion
Snowboard Abuse Lawsuits Against Peter Foley and the USOPC
On February 2, 2023, three former U.S. national team snowboarders filed suit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles against longtime head coach Peter Foley, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the USOPC, and former federation CEO Gale “Tiger” Shaw. The plaintiffs were Rosey Fletcher, a three-time Olympian and 2006 bronze medalist; Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, a 2010 Olympian; and Erin O’Malley, a former national team member. A companion lawsuit was filed the same day by former federation communications staffer Lindsey Nikola.4ABC News. Snowboarders Sue Coach, Federation, USOPC Over Sex Trafficking5Los Angeles Times. Olympic Snowboarders Sue USOPC Over Sex Trafficking
The complaints alleged sex trafficking under federal law, sexual assault, harassment, intimidation, and a decades-long institutional cover-up. According to the lawsuit, Foley used his authority over team selection, endorsement opportunities, and meal money to coerce sexual acts, and the governing bodies knew about his behavior but failed to intervene for nearly twenty years.5Los Angeles Times. Olympic Snowboarders Sue USOPC Over Sex Trafficking
Foley’s downfall began in February 2022, when U.S. Ski & Snowboard received allegations and referred the sexual misconduct claims to the U.S. Center for SafeSport. The federation placed Foley on leave and fired him in March 2022 after an internal investigation found evidence of bullying, a hostile work environment, and a toxic team culture.6U.S. Ski and Snowboard. Foley Statement After an 18-month probe, SafeSport suspended Foley for 10 years followed by five years of probation. SafeSport also suspended former board member Lisa Kosglow for three years with two years of probation for “abuse of process” and failure to report.7ESPN. US Snowboard Coach Peter Foley Suspended After Investigation Into Sexual Misconduct An arbitrator upheld the suspension in February 2024.8ESPN. Arbitrator Upholds US Snowboard Coach Peter Foley Suspension
The Los Angeles lawsuit was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. On appeal, the Ninth Circuit partially reversed in a November 2025 memorandum opinion, finding that the district court did have specific jurisdiction over certain tort claims, including sexual harassment, negligence, and negligent supervision, and remanded the case for further proceedings.9MetNews. Specific Jurisdiction Ruling in Nikola v. Foley In February 2026, Fletcher, Chythlook-Sifsof, and O’Malley filed a second lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Utah against Foley and U.S. Ski & Snowboard, citing expiring statutes of limitations on claims about federation officials’ interference with abuse reporting. The complaint accuses the defendants of conducting “a deliberate and reckless campaign” to discredit, silence, and intimidate survivors.10KPCW. 4 Years After Olympic Scandal, Athletes Sue U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Former Coach Over Alleged Sexual Abuse As of mid-2026 the Utah case is stayed pending the Ninth Circuit appeal in the original lawsuit.11PACER Monitor. Fletcher et al v. Foley et al
Congressional Investigation and the 2020 Reform Law
The pattern of abuse across Olympic sports triggered an 18-month bipartisan Senate investigation led by Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. Their July 2019 report, “The Courage of Survivors: A Call to Action,” concluded that the USOPC and USA Gymnastics repeatedly failed to report wrongdoing to law enforcement and prioritized institutional reputation over athlete safety. The subcommittee referred former USOPC CEO Scott Blackmun to the Justice Department for allegedly submitting false statements about what he knew.12TIME. U.S. Olympic Committee Congressional Investigation
The investigation led to the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act, signed into law on October 30, 2020.13Congress.gov. S.2330 – Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020 The law increased the minimum share of athletes on the USOPC board and committees from one-fifth to one-third, gave Congress authority by joint resolution to dissolve the USOPC board or decertify a national governing body, required the USOPC to provide $20 million annually to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, barred USOPC or NGB employees from serving at the Center, and mandated that employees found to have retaliated against athletes for reporting abuse be suspended without pay or fired.14GovInfo. S.2330 Enrolled Bill Text
Questions About SafeSport’s Capacity
Even with expanded funding, SafeSport has faced questions about whether it can handle the volume of abuse allegations. As of May 2023, the Center was receiving roughly 150 new reports per week, with a staff of 117. Twenty-eight percent of its roughly 1,000 open cases had been pending for a year or longer, according to CEO Ju’Riese Colon.15USA Today. SafeSport Goal to Protect Athletes From Abuse Draws Criticism
Critics have focused on “administrative closures,” a process by which complaints are closed without a formal finding. A 2020 Government Accountability Office report found that of 4,150 resolved claims between February 2018 and June 2020, 1,498 were administratively closed. The October 2022 report led by former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates found that SafeSport administratively closed 84 percent of sexual misconduct allegations involving U.S. Soccer participants that lacked a criminal disposition.15USA Today. SafeSport Goal to Protect Athletes From Abuse Draws Criticism In July 2023, 103 U.S. Soccer Federation athletes, including the full Women’s World Cup roster, sent an open letter to Congress asking for action on administrative closure rates, SafeSport’s exclusive jurisdiction, and arbitration rights for appeals.16Congressional Research Service. U.S. Center for SafeSport Overview
The 2002 Salt Lake City Bidding Scandal
The Olympic movement’s most prominent corruption crisis in the United States involved the bidding process for the 2002 Winter Games. An investigation revealed that Salt Lake City bid committee organizers Tom Welch and Dave Johnson provided approximately $1 million in cash, gifts, medical care, and other inducements to IOC members. Both men faced 15 criminal counts, but on December 5, 2003, U.S. District Judge David Sam acquitted them on all charges.17Salt Lake Tribune. How Salt Lake City’s 2002 Bribery Scandal Unfolded
The IOC acted on its own. In March 1999, at an emergency general assembly, the committee expelled six members by secret ballot, the first expulsions for corruption in its 105-year history. Three additional members resigned and a fourth was later expelled, bringing the total to ten who lost their positions.18The Guardian. IOC Expels Members in Bribes Scandal At a December 1999 extraordinary session, the IOC adopted 50 governance recommendations from the “IOC 2000 Commission,” including age and term limits for members, elimination of IOC member visits to bid cities, the creation of an Ethics Commission and Code of Ethics, increased financial transparency, and the opening of IOC sessions to the media.19Olympedia. Salt Lake City Scandal
Paris 2024 Corruption Raids
Corruption concerns resurfaced ahead of the 2024 Paris Games. On June 20, 2023, French police searched the headquarters of the Paris 2024 organizing committee in Seine-Saint-Denis and the offices of SOLIDEO, the public body overseeing Olympic infrastructure, as part of two separate investigations by the National Financial Prosecutor’s office.20New York Times. Paris 2024 Olympics Corruption Raid The first probe, opened in 2017, focused on procurement contracts and suspected embezzlement and favoritism. The second, opened in 2022 after an audit by the French Anti-corruption Agency, examined suspected conflicts of interest and favoritism in contracts involving both the organizing committee and SOLIDEO.21El País. Paris Olympic Organizers Headquarters Searched in French Corruption Investigations Organizers said they were cooperating. No individuals were publicly named as suspects.
The 2026 Ice Dance Judging Controversy
At the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games, the free dance competition on February 11, 2026, produced accusations of biased judging. France’s Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry won gold over Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates by 1.34 points, but the scoring from specific judges drew scrutiny. French judge Jezabel Dabouis scored the American pair 5.20 points below the average of the other eight judges while scoring the French pair nearly three points above that average. An Italian judge placed the Italian team on the podium despite what observers called a glaring error; eight of the other nine judges had the Italian pair finishing outside the medals.22Forbes. Olympic Ice Dance Scandal: Judging Discrepancies Spark Calls for Investigation
A Change.org petition demanding an independent investigation by the IOC and the International Skating Union collected more than 15,000 signatures within days.23The Guardian. Olympic Ice Dance French Judge Scoring Controversy The ISU declined to investigate, stating it had “full confidence in the scores given” and pointing to its trimmed-mean system, which discards the highest and lowest scores, as a safeguard.24ESPN. ISU Defends Olympic Ice Dance Scoring Amid French Controversy At its June 2026 Congress, the ISU announced it would begin using a data-driven system developed with analytics firm Maelstrom to evaluate and appoint figure skating judges, with rankings determining judge assignments for the World Championships starting the following season.25ISU. ISU Congress 2026 Live Blog Day 1
USOPC Trademark Suit Against Prime Hydration
Not every Olympic lawsuit involves abuse or corruption. In July 2024, the USOPC sued Prime Hydration in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, alleging that the beverage company used trademarks including “Olympic,” “Olympian,” “Team USA,” and “Going for Gold” on packaging and digital marketing featuring NBA star Kevin Durant without authorization. The USOPC claimed violations of the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act and the Lanham Act, and said Prime’s actions undermined official sponsors like Coca-Cola.26Bloomberg Law. Prime Hydration Settles Olympic Trademark Suit Over Durant Drink The parties reached a settlement in December 2024, and U.S. District Judge Regina M. Rodriguez granted a voluntary dismissal in January 2025. Terms were not disclosed.27Front Office Sports. Olympic Committee, Prime Hydration Reach Settlement