Biff_Poindexter
Diamond Member
A Fencer Made It To The Olympics In Spite Of Multiple Accusations Of Sexual Assault. His Teammates Say The System Is Broken.
The US Center for SafeSport was tasked with investigating sexual abuse claims at Olympic programs. But in the first Summer Games since the agency’s creation, Team USA fencers say the system failed them.
www.buzzfeednews.com
"Ten days after fencer Alen Hadzic secured a spot as an alternate on the US Olympic team, a group of women took their concerns about him straight to the top. The six women fencers, including two Olympic athletes, wrote to the Olympic committee that Hadzic should not be allowed to represent the US because he was under investigation for at least three accusations of sexual misconduct.
Though last month SafeSport had suspended Hadzic from the international competition, an arbitration process that ultimately permitted him to participate in the Summer Games. Acknowledging the severity of the allegations facing Hadzic, USA Fencing, the athletic federation in charge of selecting the country’s Olympic competitors, created a “safety plan” to keep him away from women and out of the Olympic Village. “We are pissed off that this is even a thing we had to deal with,” an Olympic fencer who filed a complaint against Hadzic alleging predatory behavior told BuzzFeed News from Tokyo. “He’s been protected again and again.”
Well, at least they are taking the allegations seriously enough to keep him away from women...because nothing conveys innocence like being forced to quarantine yourself away from women...seems like if you have to do all of that, why have the guy on the team?
On the bright side....Lee Kiefer made history this weekend for the US as a fencer by winning the first gold medal in that sport.....but she's a girl so I am not for sure if it counts or not...
Lee Kiefer Becomes First American to Win Individual Foil
Lee Kiefer won the first gold medal in United States history in individual foil fencing on Sunday. Kiefer defeated Inna Deriglazova of the Russian Olympic Committee 15-13 in the gold medal final for the win. Kiefer never trailed during the match, beating the gold medal winner from 2016. Kiefer...
www.nbcwashington.com