Canadian Olympic figure skater Nicolai Sorensen is being investigated by the Canadian Sports Integrity Commission for the 2012 sexual assault of an American figure skating coach and former skater, according to a new report.
According to USA TodayThe woman alleges that when she was 22 and Mr. Sorensen was 23, he pinned her down on a bed in an apartment building near Hartford, Conn., and sexually assaulted her.
The woman, who has not been identified, did not turn herself in to police at the time of the alleged assault.
“He pinned me down by placing his left arm above my collarbone,” she said in the report, according to USA Today. “He pushed down hard on my collarbone, inserted his penis into my vagina, and covered my mouth with his right hand, which took my breath away.”
“At that point all sounds were almost inaudible and I felt as if I was suffocating from the pressure of his arm on my collarbone and chest,” she continued in her report. “I pressed my arm around his waist trying to pull his penis out of me, but I struggled to breathe. At this point I feared for my life and lay limp. He raped me.”
The woman also said she did not report the attack to police or sports officials at the time because she feared she would be blamed or not believed.
After receiving psychological treatment, she considered filing a police report in Connecticut, but discovered the statute of limitations had passed.
It wasn't until July 22, 2023, that she finally reached out to sports officials to find out what happened, after reading an interview in which Sorensen, 34, spoke about the need to keep women safe in sports. It was about.
According to the report, the woman said, “I couldn't believe the words that came out of my rapist's mouth.'' “At that moment, it occurred to her that her mothers would send their daughters to train with him.” [as a coach] At some point after he retired from competitive skating, I couldn't live with the guilt of not telling anyone in authority. ”
Skate Canada, Canada's governing body for the sport, declined to comment. To the Canadian Press Following a report from USA Today.
“We are aware of the recent USA Today article, but as this is an ongoing matter within OSIC, we cannot comment and the players will not comment as well.” Skate Canada public relations director Karine Bedard told the magazine. .
OSIC told The Associated Press it “does not comment on ongoing matters.”
Sørensen competed for Denmark until 2018 and became a Canadian citizen in 2021, and will compete at the Canadian Championships in Calgary from January 8-14 with ice dancing partner Laurence Fournier-Beaudry. He plans to participate in the event.
This duo is the defending national champion.
He is also scheduled to compete in the World Championships in Montreal in March.
Sorensen, 34, finished ninth at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and fifth at last year's world championships.
He won a silver medal at the 2023 Four Continents Championships.
