In the midst of sexual assault scandals that have rocked Olympic sports throughout the country, the longtime chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee announced Monday that he will step down at the end of the year.

Larry Probst, known for vastly improving the USOC’s international stature over the last decade, expressed remorse for the situation closer to home, where young athletes in gymnastics, swimming and taekwondo have been abused.

“I think we’ve been very clear about this … we failed our athletes,” Probst said.

Board member Susanne Lyons will begin a four-year term as chairwoman in January, joining newly appointed chief executive Sarah Hirshland to put women in the USOC’s two primary jobs.

“I think we’ve seen that there are areas that need to have change, absolutely, going forward,” Lyons said. “Sometimes having fresh eyes and a fresh perspective can be a catalyst to that type of cultural change, a lot of it has to start at the top.”

— Los Angeles Times