WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- USA Gymnastics announced on Tuesday that Leung Li Li has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the beleaguered organization.

"Leung's unique combination of business skills, management experience and passion for gymnastics make her perfectly suited to lead our organization at this important time in our history," said Kathryn Carson, USA Gymnastics Board chair.

"She brings strong leadership, organizational and communication skills from her over two-decade professional career in sports business and management. She also has deep roots in gymnastics, having competed at a high level before moving to collegiate gymnastics. We are thrilled to have her as our next president and CEO, and the Board looks forward to supporting her as she delivers her vision to transform and strengthen our organization and culture," Carson added.

USA Gymnastics has struggled to move beyond the crisis sparked by the case of longtime team physician Larry Nassar, who had molested hundreds of girls and young women, including Olympic champions Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman.

Leung began her gymnastics career at age 7. She competed in many USA Gymnastics events, was member of a US junior national training team and represented the US in the 1988 Junior Pan American Games.

The 45-year-old Leung most recently served as a vice president at the National Basketball Association (NBA), where she has been responsible for building, leading, negotiating and managing key partner relationships around the world.

"I am honored to be the next CEO of USA Gymnastics and to lead an organization that plays an important role in a sport that I care deeply about and had so much positive influence on my life," said Leung.

"Like everyone, I was upset and angry to learn about the abuse and the institutions that let the athletes down. I admire the courage and strength of the survivors, and I will make it a priority to see that their claims are resolved. I look forward to collaborating with the entire gymnastics community to create further change going forward, which requires that we implement important initiatives to strengthen athlete health and safety and build a clear and inclusive plan for the future," she added.