INDIANAPOLIS, September 9, 2020 – USA Gymnastics has shared an updated mission statement and presented five core organizational values that will guide future operations. These changes underscore USA Gymnastics’ ongoing efforts to evolve the sport’s culture, put athlete well-being first and create greater accountability for the organization and its members.
As part of its larger organizational transformation, USA Gymnastics seated an entirely new Board of Directors in the summer of 2018, and CEO Li Li Leung joined the organization in March 2019. Since that time, USA Gymnastics has established a completely new executive leadership team, which includes a Chief of Athlete Wellness position.
This sweeping change in leadership has inspired new organizational priorities and definitions of success.
“It is incredibly important to lead by example and set the tone and standard for our community,” said Leung. “We hope that by creating a shared vision, we can continue to build momentum toward achieving the culture we know is necessary within our sport.”
That shared vision is set forth in a deliberately crafted mission statement: To build a community and culture of health, safety and excellence, where athletes can thrive in sport and in life.
USA Gymnastics also introduced five foundational values that further demonstrate the organization’s commitment to creating meaningful change within the sport: safety, accountability, integrity, transparency and listening.
“Athlete health and wellness is the foundation of our operations, and it begins with safety,” said USA Gymnastics Chief of Athlete Wellness, Kim Kranz. “Nothing we aspire to can be achieved without ensuring that piece is in place at every level across every discipline, and our mission and values reflect this.”
“This is a new USA Gymnastics,” said Leung. “We’re putting the focus back where it should be – on supporting athletes and creating the environments and opportunities that will help them be successful as gymnasts and as people. That means putting safety first, listening to our community members, and owning our decisions and actions. It means operating with integrity and communicating openly and honestly with stakeholders.
“These aren’t just words on a page. Each of our values represents a promise to our community. We know who we want to be. We know who we need to be, and we’re committed to living these ideals.”
You can learn more about USA Gymnastics’ new leadership team, and their vision for the future, here.