More than four years after saying he had nothing to be sorry for, USA Swimming CEO Chuck Wielgus apologized to victims of sexual abuse for the first time.

Wielgus has resisted repeated calls to step down as executive director and pointed to enhanced steps to protect athletes as proof that he was serious about eradicating sexual predators from the program.

But he was recently forced to withdraw from the International Swimming Hall of Fame induction class and now acknowledges that he should have done more.

USA Swimming CEO Chuck Wielgus apologized for the first time to victims of sexual abuse within the program, more than four years after he said he had no reason to do so. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Wielgus started a blog post on the organization's website with two words: "I'm sorry."

The apology referenced a much-criticized 2010 television interview in which a defiant Wielgus said he had done nothing wrong in the handling of dozens of sexual-abuse cases under his leadership.

"These are powerful words some people have wanted to hear from me for a long time," he wrote in the post. "And so today, four long years later, I can truthfully say how sorry I am to the victims of sexual abuse."

He went on to write: "Going back in time, I wish I knew long before 2010 what I know today. I wish my eyes had been more open to the individual stories of the horrors of sexual abuse. I wish I had known more so perhaps I could have done more.

"I cannot undo the past. I'm sorry, so very sorry."

Robert Allard and Jon Little, attorneys for 15 victims who signed a petition opposing Wielgus' selection to the Florida-based Hall of Fame, said the apology was nothing more than an attempt to stifle criticism rather than taking a real stand on the issue.

"Too little, too late and forced,'' Allard and Little said in a statement. "Another example of this organization under Mr. Wielgus' leadership being reactive and not proactive. Leaders who are not innovative, creative and caring thinkers and callously react only when forced into action are not true leaders but mere politicians.''

While Wielgus stands by the organization's Safe Sport Program, which was instituted after the sexual-abuse cases came to light, he has continued to face criticism from those who say he should step down if USA Swimming is going to make real progress. In January, an independent report commissioned by the governing body recommended 39 changes to better protect underage athletes from predatory coaches.