UPDATE 1-USA Gymnastics hires ex-NBA exec to help lead it past sex scandal

USA Gymnastics on Tuesday named a former National Basketball Association executive as its new chief executive, while the governing body of the sport copes with the aftermath of a sex abuse scandal.

The executive, Li Li Leung, will take the helm of an organization that filed for bankruptcy protection in December as it staggered under the weight of lawsuits filed by hundreds of women who were sexually abused by the former national team doctor, Larry Nassar. "I was upset and angry to learn about the abuse and the institutions that let the athletes down," Leung said in a statement on Tuesday. "I admire the courage and strength of the survivors, and I will make it a priority to see that their claims are resolved."

Three CEOs have stepped down in the last two years over criticism of their handling of the Nassar case. The latest interim executive, former California Congresswoman Mary Bono, occupied the role for less than a week. Nassar was sentenced to up to 300 years in prison in two different trials in Michigan last year after more than 350 women, including Olympic champions Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber, testified about abuse at his hands. (Reporting by Gabriella Borter in New York; Editing by Scott Malone and David Gregorio)