The US Olympic Committee (USOC) is making strides to revoke the USA Gymnastics’ (USAG) status after all of the sexual misconduct by the team doctor, Larry Nassar, coming to light early this year.

The CEO of the USOC, Sarah Hirshland, has offered for the team to voluntarily give up their status, saying that the challenges they have faced may be just too much to overcome at this point. USA Gymnastics responded by announcing that they will be considering which path would be the best for them to make, without mentioning if they will accept USOC’s offer or not. Hirshland has stated that it is her goal to decertify US Gymnastics.

Since the assault allegations, USA Gymnastics has been struggling to rebuild its reputation, and it has earned critics everywhere. Olympian Aly Raisman holds USAG completely responsible for the abuse and even believes they enabled it. It has also been revealed that they paid gymnasts to keep quiet about the incidents and cover up for Nassar, and olympian McKayla Maroney filed a lawsuit against them for it. USAG CEO Steve Penny was also arrested for tampering with evidence in an attempt to make Nassar look more innocent. Needless to say, USA Gymnastics has a lot to recover from, and the USOC simply does not believe these  allegations and abuse charges can be recovered from.

USAG handles the training and competition aspect, as well as chooses the athletes that they want to represent them in competitions like the Olympics. If their status is revoked, a new organization will need to take over these responsibilities.

The process will begin by Hirshland appointing an independent review board. There will then be a hearing, and USAG will have the chance to defend themselves. The review board will prepare a recommendation and present it to the USOC, who will then decide whether or not to revoke their status.

“Today is only the beginning of an important process for gymnastics in the United States. The path is not crystal clear, but our motives are. So, we move forward, committed to ensuring the type of organization each gymnast and the coaches, trainers and club owners who support them, deserves,” writes Hirshland, dedicated to making gymnastics a safe environment again.

As of now, the decisions from both parties are still unknown and there has been no word on how they will move forward in this process.