Olympic Gymnastics Coach Receives Lifetime Ban For Abuse

The U.S. Center for SafeSport has permanently banned another prominent U.S. gymnastics coach. Qi Han, founder of Everest Gymnastics in Cornelius, N.C., is a former Chinese national team gymnast turned U.S. coach.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport is an independent, non-profit organization responsible for investigating and responding to allegations of abuse in Olympic and Paralympic sports.

On Thursday, June 5, SafeSport ruled Han “permanently ineligible” on the centralized disciplinary database. The organization cites Han’s emotional misconduct, physical misconduct, and the violation of USA Gymnastics policies and bylaws.

Han coached former elite gymnast Ashton Locklear to an Olympic alternate spot in 2016 and a World title in 2014. He also coached Haleigh Bryant, a three-time NCAA National Champion with the LSU Tigers.

The permanent suspension comes after Han was temporarily sanctioned for the reported misconduct in 2023. During the sanction period, Han was barred from training or contacting athletes without supplementary adult supervision.

The process has been tedious for Han’s victims. Allegations first surfaced in 2016, with Locklear, his most prominent athlete, reporting emotional and physical abuse to the U.S.A. Gymnastics and the U.S. Center for SafeSport in 2017.

Locklear reported “yelling” and abrupt expulsion from the gym, and accused Han of “throwing a cellphone at her.” Han denied Locklear’s claims, and in 2018, she told The New York Times that those allegations initially fell on deaf ears. “They know about his abuse and they did nothing,” she reported.

The case was passed over to SafeSport in 2017, and Locklear was far from alone. According to the center, allegations against Han came from over 80 witnesses, with details measuring “thousands of pages of evidence” and “that span decades.”

Han opened his Charlotte-area gym in 2004, nearly two decades before his initial sanction in 2023.

Monica Avery, the owner of OSEGA Dream Academy in Asheville, N.C., reported Han’s abuse to U.S.A Gymnastics in 2016. Avery alleged that she had seen Han “kick an athlete” at a gymnastics competition in Texas.

Avery also expressed frustration with the speed of Han’s case. “The emotional damage all these girls go through is so heartbreaking, and it could have been prevented if Han would have been stopped years ago,” she said.

While the ruling is subject to appeal, the interim CEO of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, April Holmes, delivered the following statement regarding the verdict. “This outcome sends a clear message that sport culture is changing and accountability is moving the needle.”