The American daily USA Today revealed Thursday afternoon that Canadian figure skater of Danish origin Nikolaj Sorensen was the target of sexual assault allegations dating back to 2012.
The victim is believed to be an American skater, now a coach, whom USA Today has chosen not to identify. The allegation has not been verified in court.
According to documents sent to the Office of the Sports Integrity Commissioner (BCIS) and the US Center for SafeSport, the woman was 22 years old at the time. Sorensen was a year older than him at the time of the alleged events.
These events allegedly occurred in April 2012 after a party in Connecticut.
According to the complainant, Sorensen wanted to have sex with her. Once in bed, he allegedly held one arm, pressing on her collarbone, before going for full penetration, while Sorensen’s other hand covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming. The victim also says that it was impossible for her to breathe.
“I thought I was going to run out of air due to the weight of his arm on my collarbone and chest. I tried to push his hips with my arms to try to remove his penis, but it was too hard to breathe. I feared for my life. […] He raped me,” we can read in the testimony of the alleged victim in the article in question.
The Commissioner’s Office has officially opened the investigation, according to USA Today.
The daily tried to contact Sorensen and his coaches, but received no response.
Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead, an attorney and founder of Champion Women, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization for girls and women in sports, told USA Today that she is representing the victim of the alleged sexual assault. Hogshead confirmed that an investigation into Sørensen was ongoing, but could not comment further due to a confidentiality agreement mandated by the BCIS.
“We are aware of the USA Today article that was just published, but as it is an active matter within the BCIS, we cannot comment and nor will our athletes comment,” said know Thursday the director of communications of Skate Canada, Karine Bédard.
Skate Canada added in a statement that all complaints of misconduct go through the BCIS “to ensure an independent review, investigation and adjudication.” “As a signatory to the program, Skate Canada complies with all directives from Sport Without Abuse and its agents, including the Director of Sanctions. »
The Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner of Canada was established in June 2022 as an independent body responsible for handling complaints and reports of abuse and mistreatment in sport. All nationally funded sports organizations were to become signatories.
“To protect the integrity of the investigative process and its results, the Office of the Sports Integrity Commissioner operates within confidentiality parameters and does not comment on ongoing matters,” said a spokesperson for the Sports Integrity Centre. Sports Dispute Resolution Canada in a press release.
“Although those involved in these matters are also required to adhere to Sport Sans Abuse’s privacy policy, its application is limited to information received, collected or generated in the context of Sport Sans Abuse’s complaints management process. »
Sorensen, 34, has been skating under the Canadian flag since 2019 with partner Laurence Beaudry-Fournier. They finished in ninth place at the last Olympic Games in Beijing and fifth at the most recent World Championships. The duo must defend their title at the Canadian Championships next week in addition to participating in the Worlds in Montreal in March.
