A former member of the Canadian gymnastics team wrote an open letter in which he accused the coach of the Canadian team that participated in the Rio Olympics in 2016 of climbing on his bed and pressing him, before passing his hand under his sweater and asked. to show her her breasts.
The letter from 38-year-old Abby Pearson Spadafora is part of a long range of allegations of sexual, psychological and physical abuse against coaches Dave and Elizabeth Brubaker, who are disciplined by Gymnastics Canada.
The attacks have not stopped, Spadafora said in a letter published Thursday. My trainer regularly took off my sports bra when I started wearing one. I was taught that weight gain and puberty are bad. Injuries are rarely taken seriously, and I was taught to hide the pain.
Spadafora said he trained 25 to 35 hours a week from the age of 7, and weighed in twice a day.
That’s when things got out of hand, and the attacks startedhe confessed about his experience, which began in 1991.
A group of 11 gymnasts, including Spadafora, publicly condemned the attacks on the Bluewater Gymnastics Club in Ontario.
They participated in the Gymnastics Canada investigation that led to sanctions against the Brubaker couple. Spadafora and other athletes, however, criticized the work of the investigators, as they say they again experienced trauma when they were asked to remain silent to avoid their statements being used against him as part of any legal proceedings. process.
About 480 athletes have signed a petition calling on the Canadian government to order an independent investigation into the attacks that took place at the club.
Dave Brubaker, who led the Canadian gymnastics team at the Rio Olympics in 2016, was found not guilty of sexual assault and sexual exploitation in 2019, after a judge assigned to the case involving an ex-gymnast revealed that police were responsible for investigation Brubaker was a member of the alleged family of the victim.
Her lifetime suspension from Gymnastics Canada, and her husband to expire January 18, 2024, was announced earlier this year, after the disciplinary committee confirmed 54 cases of misconduct. behavior involving the Brubaker couple. He first challenged the sanctions, before withdrawing his appeal in March.
The lawyer who represented the Brubaker couple in the sexual assault case, Patrick Ducharme, did not immediately respond to an email sent by The Associated Press.
Source: Radio-Canada
