Sexual assaults by Polish tennis president? - Swiatek and Hurkacz demand clarification
After allegations against the current President of the Polish Tennis Association, Miroslaw Skrzypczynski, of sexual assault a month ago, tennis stars Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz are now demanding an official clarification of the explosive facts.
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit: Nov 24, 2022, 08:00 pm
Almost exactly a month ago, the Polish Internet platform "Onet" published a report accusing the President of the Polish Tennis Association, Miroslaw Skrzypczynski, of domestic violence and inappropriate sexual assaults against underage players. The journalistic work also writes about how Skrzypczynski abused political power to maintain his position. In addition to the players, the violence is said to have also applied to his ex-wife, his daughter and his mother-in-law.
Extremely serious and serious allegations, then, which were further corroborated this week as Kararzyna Kotula, a Polish politician who trained at a Polish tennis club in her youth, now also testified that she had been sexually harassed by Skrzypczyński. She was only 13 years old at the time and the now 59-year-old sexually assaulted her at least a dozen times over a period of three years.
Swiatek hopes for global improvements
Now the two Polish tennis superstars Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz are coming forward and demanding an official investigation into the case. The world number one said in a statement: "The bodies should determine what happened and I hope they will take care of this case after the media has written about the stories of people with whom they have spoken about it. "
She is glad that she never had to experience such a terrible situation herself: "I am grateful to my father for how cleverly he managed my career. I have a great team, I feel safe and am currently really privileged, but I also know that not every athlete can have the same independence. I hope that if such matters are uncovered and resolved carefully and fairly, Polish sport and the world will change for the better."
Hurkacz: "Stand with all victims"
Hurkacz also found the right words in his statement on the subject: "I support all women and victims of abuse. No coach or guardian should be allowed to use their power and position against anyone. Any aggression, both in and outside of sport, must be condemned and be punished. I hope that the authorities will act on the press reports. I stand with all victims of abuse."
Meanwhile, Skrzypczynski is still in office and is presumed innocent. The president of the association dismissed Kotula's allegations that her claims contained "untrue information".