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With the Winter Olympics underway, there's new attention on how athletes who start training at a young age are protected from abuse.

CHILD USA, a nonprofit, took a deeper look into the Larry Nassar case. It's trying to uncover all the ways state and federal policies failed to protect the dozens of people that Nassar sexually abused.

The investigation found that medical licensing boards have failed to keep predatory doctors from practicing. During recent congressional testimony, Olympic gymnasts said FBI agents didn't properly act on their allegations.

"What we've got is a system that is treating athletes as expendable, and we need fixes in all of these areas where we would have assumed they were already working for athletes," said Marci Hamilton, the founder and CEO of CHILD USA.

The Game Over Commission is calling on Congress to create a federal agency that would oversee the entire Olympic system. It would include a database of every person associated with sports accused of child misconduct.

The report also pushes for more states to reform their statutes of limitations for child sex abuse. The Game Over Commission found that only three of the dozens of people abused by Nassar reported him right away. The rest didn't come forward until years later.

The Game Over Commission also wants to focus on the mental health of athletes. Three-time Olympic medalist and alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin is the latest to open up about her mental health. She told The Associated Press about the immense pressure she feels to win every competition. She said the unrealistic expectations took a toll on her.

Hamilton hopes some of the pressure will go away if the recommended policies are implemented.

"For the future athletes, they won't feel like their spot on the team is contingent on hiding injury, hiding emotional burdens and hiding abuse," she said. "So, that culture has to change. For the parents, they can become more confident and happy about their child being in an elite sport."

CHILD USA says it could be at least another five years before the U.S. begins to see more protections for Olympic athletes.

Video above: Olympics give boost to winter sports in China

Not even "The Great Wall” could stave off a piercing, bone-chilling wind.

The snow replica of China’s iconic monument lined the top of the Olympic slopestyle course to cut down on the blustery conditions. All it really did Saturday was provide an eye-catching backdrop.

In gusty conditions that led to arctic-feeling wind chills, two-time defending Olympic champion Jamie Anderson and the rest of the women's snowboarders glided through the rails and jumps — albeit a little chilled — during the qualifying round in the mountains above Beijing.

Some riders wore hand and feet warmers to protect against the elements. Others donned facemasks or neck sleeves to keep the whipping wind at bay.

Nothing fully worked. Not even the protection of “The Great Wall.”

“I like the Great Wall. I do think it's helping a little bit, for sure,” said Anderson, who finished fifth in qualifying to make Sunday's 12-woman final.

Then, she jokingly added: "They need a bigger wall.”

The temperature hovered around 5 degrees F and felt like minus-12 F during the competition. The wind was listed at 13 mph, but the more telling sight may have been a wind sleeve next to the final jump: It was blowing straight out, then sideways, then straight out again.

“It's cold,” Anderson said. “It’s hard to, like, keep your core temperature warm and then doing tricks feels a little bit more intimidating.”

Zoi Sadowski Synnott of New Zealand navigated the extreme conditions to turn in qualifying's top score of 86.75. Synnott might just be the biggest challenger to Anderson. She beat Anderson last month at the Winter X Games.

Then again, the wind could play a big role, too. It did four years ago at the Pyeongchang Olympics, when Anderson won her second straight title. It was held in windy, subpar conditions while across the mountain the Alpine race was called off.

Of the elements Saturday, Synnott said: "The wind is a bit tricky. You can feel it sometimes when you’re on the course, but not enough to throw you off your game. You just have to really adapt.”

That's what Hailey Langland did after wiping out on her first run. With hand warmers stuffed in her gloves and feet warmers in her boots, Langland blocked the wind out of her mind and just went for it.

“It's gnarly because the wind gusts, they’re no longer coming straight downhill. They’re now starting to swirl in between the jumps and in the rails and starting to come uphill,” said Langland, who finished ninth in qualifying. “That can really deter your gauge of what speed you should be taking into these features, which can cause, obviously, some really bad consequences.”

Another challenge were some of the jumps with approaches that were angled into the kickers instead of straight-on. They’re unlike most jumps riders spring off in other contests, but this style was featured four years ago in South Korea.

“I’m starting to get used to it more," said Julia Marino, who was sixth to advance.

Not so much the snow under their snowboards, though. The machine-made snow had a different feel, especially on a fall. Anderson said she had a bruise to show for the snow that felt — as Marino described — like concrete.

“I’m impressed that they did it,” Anderson said of the manmade snow. “But, damn, it’s like not that enjoyable to ride on.”

To keep warm before her run, Langland also bundled up in a giant parka. As for those warmers she just started to use, she had a description for them: “Life-changing,” she joked.

Tess Coady of Australia wore a dark facemask under her helmet, along with dark lenses in her goggles.

“Intimidation,” cracked Coady, who finished eighth. “It’s so cold. My nose is like dying.”

For Enni Rukajarvi, this felt almost balmy compared to what it's like back home in Finland.

“Somehow it feels warmer here than in Finland,” Rukajarvi said after taking third in qualifying. “When it's minus-20 in Finland, it’s way colder.”

Marino didn't even feel the cold on her final run, she said, simply because she was so focused after a mistake on her first attempt.

“I just wanted to make it to the end of the course,” said Marino, who hung out in the athletes' lounge at the top to stay warm before her run. “I did not look at the flags at all. I was just like, ‘I’m going to go for my run no matter what. I don’t care about the wind. I’m going throw down what I came here to throw down.’”

Adrenaline fueled that second run. Then, a blast of reality hit in the finish area.

“I’m starting to feel (the cold)," Marino said.

Sam Cary started as a freshman in one of the biggest games in Iowa women’s soccer history.

“I put a lot of that pressure on myself of I need to do this because this is the position I’m in. So that all really started building in my head, and imposter syndrome, do I really belong here? Is it really, am I really the best choice filling the role on the team? A lot of self-doubt and questioning that I really had to rumble through,” said Cary.

She was the only freshman in a playoff game starting alongside 14 seniors in the Hawkeye women’s winningest season.

“I remember the NCAA game that year. I was like, oh my gosh, if I make a mistake and we lose, I’m the reason, I’m ending these senior’s careers,” she said.

That immense pressure only increases as you progress in a sport. Olympic athletes on the world’s biggest stage are no exception.

“The elite athletes, and some at the very tip-top, have different pressures than other athletes, so it’s just when you start to add up all of the risk factors or all of the different pressures, any human can only take so much. So I think it just understands what that is, that is very different for every athlete, and every person,” said Jessica Bartley is the Director of Mental Health for the US Olympic Committee.

She has been tasked with strengthening the organizations' mental health program.

That includes a hotline, adding mental health staff, expanding education for athletes, and having on-site therapists and counselors for athletes.

“On average, we get about eight calls a week to our team USA mental health support line. We also have athletes reaching out directly. We have coaches reaching out on behalf of athletes,” said Bartley.

The mental health of athletes took center stage over the summer as female superstars Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles have notably withdrawn from competition to focus on their mental health.

People on the inside say taking a step back is an efficient way to fight the stigma associated with mental health.

"Breaking down the stigma is starting to just openly reach out for help and openly talk about what’s going on,” said Bartley.

“The fact that an Olympian, someone that people realize as the greatest of all time, can put their mental health first and really just believe that that was the best decision for her is really inspiring,” said Cary.

She hopes that by speaking openly about her journey, she can be an inspiration too.

“I love that my teammates know that I go and I work with a sports psychologist, and that’s great for me, and it’s helped me so much. I feel like if I’m an incoming freshman and I hear a junior now about, oh yeah, I use the sports psych, maybe freshmen may not be as concerned and be like, oh, it’s normal."

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — The Olympics have dominated sports headlines, but another sport is plotting its own rise to the top. Some people are asking when we might see a gold medalist in esports.

If you ask Josh Hafkin, he would tell you video games aren’t his whole life. But, if you look around his office, it’s a bit of a different story.

Hafkin is the CEO of Game Gym.

“Game Gym is an esports training center and broadcast center,” said Hafkin. "We started with an afternoon program and private lessons, and we quickly grew to summer camps, tournaments, events, birthdays, we kind of have done it all in the industry.”

If you haven’t heard of esports, it’s competitive video games. Game Gym is kind of an all-in-one youth training center.

“In the video game world, there’s no one guiding kids, there’s no one helping kids navigate this path and that’s really dangerous,” said Hafkin.

Hafkin has won over the minds of many to show that esports is a viable industry. That includes his partner, Evan Shubin.

“I was definitely an extremely skeptical parent. I had two boys that were teenagers and very, very avid gamers, League of Legends and Overwatch, and I thought it was a big waste of time,” said Shubin.

But Shubin enrolled his kids in Game Gym’s after-school program. When one of his sons received grants to be a part of the esports program at Ohio State, he did a 180 and decided to invest in Game Gym.

“The industry is growing, no questions about it, and so there are jobs in esports and there will be more jobs. If you think about the NBA, only a tiny fraction of basketball players get paid to play basketball. But the coaches, the trainers, the general managers, the business managers, the sponsorship sales folks, all of those people are making money in the basketball industry,” said Shubin.

Game Gym hopes to be a part of the growing industry and so does the Washington Justice, a professional Overwatch League team.

“So, the same way there’s the NBA for basketball, the NHL for hockey, there’s the Overwatch League which is a professional league that has 20 teams in it,” said Grant Paranjape, the vice president of esports business with the Justice. “We are the DMV’s professional Overwatch League team."

The Justice and the Overwatch League are just one section of a growing industry. According to Newzoo, the industry is expected to produce over $1 billion for the first time this year.

While those numbers are still dwarfed by other professional sports leagues, it has some people curious if in the future we might see esports on an even bigger stage.

“I think we absolutely will see esports in the Olympics. It’s something that they’re already kind of teasing,” said Hafkin.

“Viewership is down for the Olympics. They are really struggling,” said Paranjape.

But just because it seems like esports teams could be competing for gold doesn’t mean those in the industry think it’s the best idea to grow the sport.

“We’ve kind of come around to the idea that esports doesn’t really need the Olympics. The Olympics might need esports,” said Paranjape.

“If they can make it and validate it, then it could be huge. If they just use it as a marketing tool to sell more Coca-Cola sponsorships, I’m less cool with that,” said Hafkin.

So, the jury is still out on if and how we might see esports on the international stage, but without a doubt, esports are here to stay.

Related video above: Surging COVID-19 Infections Loom Over U.S. While Tokyo Olympics Faces Potential Chaos

The International Olympic Committee says it will start including images of athletes taking a knee in its official highlights reels and social media channels.

Players from five women's soccer teams kneeled in support of racial justice Wednesday, the first day it was allowed at the Olympic Games after a ban lasting decades.

But those images were excluded from the official Tokyo Olympic highlights package provided by the IOC to media including The Associated Press that could not broadcast the games live.

Official Olympic social media channels also did not include pictures of the athlete activism.

"The IOC is covering the Games on its owned and operated platforms and such moments will be included as well," the Olympic body said Thursday in an apparent change of policy.

Great Britain and Chile teams took a knee on the pitch before their match, and the United States and Sweden teams knelt ahead of their clash on Wednesday.

It's been almost five years since former NFL player Colin Kaepernick knelt during a pre-game National Anthem to protest racial inequality. Since then, and especially since George Floyd's death in police custody in May 2020, athletes around the world have made the gesture in solidarity with the equality movement and against the oppression of people of color.

"For us, it feels right to stand up for human rights. There was communication with the U.S. team," Swedish defender Amanda Ilestedt said after the match. "It feels good to do that. It is something we stand for as a team."

The women's soccer team from New Zealand took a knee before their opening match against Australia. The Aussies remained standing with their arms locked together.

The Australian team posed for a pregame picture with the country's indigenous flag.

CNN contributed to this report.

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Olympic and Paralympic athletes across the globe faced massive disappointment in 2020, when the pandemic postponed the Tokyo games. And while it may have stalled the dreams of many, it didn’t make them fade away.

“I won silver in London. I won Gold in Mexico City and Berlin, Germany,” said Lawrence Sapp.

Sapp is a world champion swimmer. Like most world class athletes, he's been honing his craft nearly his whole life.

“I’ve been started swimming since I was four, competing since I was 11 and 12,” he said.

But unlike most athletes, he hasn’t had a traditional path.

“My coach, to learn how to swim, like a doggy paddle,” said Sapp.

When Sapp was two years old, he was diagnosed with a developmental delay. That was later determined to be autism.

Now, he’s finishing his freshman year at the University of Cincinnati, but in all likelihood, his workload will get a lot heavier this summer. It’s almost a certainty he’s headed to Tokyo for the Paralympic games.

“It was coronavirus, got hit. We all had to go home, keep it safe to stay healthy. It’s really disappointing they moved the 2020 to 2021 for this year,” said Sapp.

But now Sapp is back in the pool, working hard as he aims to bring home gold in Tokyo.

“He always shows up ready to work hard and get better,” said one of his student coaches, Sheridan Ave.

His hard work shows. It’s something his university is proud of, proud to support him in and out of the pool.

“He’s an outstanding student. He’s a great addition to the university and has a passion and gift for swimming,” said Jan Goings, who runs the Transition and Access Program (TAP).

“We are a four-year college program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said Goings.

Sapp is one of about 40 students enrolled in TAP.

He hopes to make his classmates proud when he competes in Tokyo.

“Just swim really hard, good break outs, and good starts,” said Sapp.

Goings has worked in this field for a long time.

“It has changed dramatically. The fact that universities have opened themselves to say, 'we’re here to educate all students.' So, all does mean all,” said Goings.

Institutions like the University of Cincinnati and competitions like the Paralympic games are making sure that all have a chance to show their best.

Sapp plans to show his.

“Just got to get on, be ready to race in a different country. I’ll be ready bring it on for Tokyo,” he said.

CINCINNATI — Athletes across the country who play spring sports are facing the reality that their seasons – and for some, their careers – may be over due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“I can’t imagine not being able to play my senior year of high school. I empathize with those guys and those girls very, very much,” explained Cincinnati Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart.

Barnhart stumbled a bit, trying to verbalize how he felt regarding those young athletes; but he encourages them to use this time wisely.

“If you want to keep playing, do anything and everything you can to get your work in,” Barnhart told WCPO.

Even Major League Baseball players are being forced to improvise and find alternate ways to get their work in during this unique time.

“I bought a net and a tee,” explained Barnhart. “I’ve got it and getting ready to put it in my backyard when it starts to warm up so I can hit in my backyard.”

The Ohio High School Athletic Association has already canceled what was left of winter sports.

Spring sports are still considered suspended, but schools are already planning to stay closed through at least May 1, which puts spring sports in jeopardy.

“If you want to use the excuse that you don’t have the resources you normally would, then so be it. You can … but if you want to play bad enough that you can do plenty of things to figure out how to get things done right now,” he said.