
Statement of former U.S. National Speed Skater and Sexual Abuse Survivor, Bridie Farrell, Regarding the Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2019
HUDSON, NY (July 31, 2019) — Bridie Farrell, CEO of NY Loves Kids today issued the following statement: “In a Senate subcommittee hearing in April of 2018, I said, ‘For many children it is impossible to disclose molestation or rape, because we do not, and they do not have the vocabulary. I did not learn that [at 15 years old] being molested by a 33-year-old man was a crime until I was at Cornell University. I was 27 years old.’ “Today I celebrate a breakthrough in the effort to stop child sexual abuse, especially in sport. “Survivors of child sexual abuse within the Olympic movement are finally being heard with the introduction of the Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2019. It is the first of many steps toward ending the status quo within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.