豪の競泳五輪メダリスト、１０代の頃の性的虐待被害を告白

【シドニーＡＦＰ＝時事】東京五輪のオーストラリア競泳代表選考会を「女性蔑視の変質者」に抗議するため辞退したマデリン・グローブスが８日、１０代の時に今も競泳界にいる人物から性的虐待を受けていたと、公共放送ＡＢＣとのインタビューで告白した。（写真は競泳女子のマデリン・グローブス）
　バタフライ専門で、２０１６年リオデジャネイロ五輪で二つの銀メダルを獲得したグローブスは、１９８０年代と９０年代に１０代の少年を性的暴行した疑いのある元トップコーチのジョン・ライト氏をＡＢＣが１０月に調査したことを知り、声を上げることにしたと話している。ライト氏は１０月、過去の児童性的虐待容疑で逮捕され、再勾留となっている。
　グローブスは「ジョン・ライトの事件の報道を見て、この手のことは過去の話で、もはや起きることはなく、時代は変わったという認識があるように思う」とした上で、「だがそれは必ずしも真実ではないと思う。実際に私は、未成年の頃にある成人男性から複数回にわたって性的暴行を受けた」と明かした。
　「当時はそのことを相談できると思える人がいなかった。そして今も信頼して打ち明けられる人は水泳界にはいない」
　グローブスは加害者の身元を伏せたが、今でも水泳界にいる人物で、虐待は１３歳から１８歳の時まで続いたとしている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/12/10-10:55）

An Australian swimmer who pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics to protest misogynistic perverts said Wednesday she was molested from the age of 13 by someone still working in the sport.
Butterfly specialist Madeline Groves, who won two silver medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, said in an interview with broadcaster ABC that she was sexually abused by a swimming official as a teenager.
She said she was speaking up after learning of an unrelated ABC investigation in October into former elite swimming coach John Wright, who has been accused of sexually abusing teenage boys in the 1980s and 1990s.
Wright was arrested in October on historical child sexual abuse charges and remanded in custody.
I think seeing the report on the John Wright case, there's this attitude that that type of thing is a historical issue and it doesn't happen anymore and that times have changed, Groves said.
But I don't think that's necessarily true. Because when I was underage, on multiple occasions I was actually molested by an adult male.
At the time I didn't feel like there was anyone I could tell about that. And there's no-one in swimming that I would trust disclosing that to now, either.
She declined to identify the alleged perpetrator but said he still worked in swimming and said the abuse started when she was 13 and continued until she was 18.
I haven't made a complaint about this individual, she said.
I guess my experience from trying to make complaints about other people in sport was so discouraging, it really didn't leave me feeling that making a complaint about this person would be any different to the others.
Groves stunned her teammates when she withdrew from the Australian Olympic trials in June.
She said at the time: You can no longer exploit young women and girls, body shame or medically gaslight them and then expect them to represent you so you can earn your annual bonus. Time's UP.
Swimming Australia subsequently met with her and set up an independent panel to investigate issues relating to women and girls, while admitting unacceptable behaviour dated back decades.
It told the broadcaster for Wednesday's programme that it was resolute in its commitment to continually improve our sport to ensure it is a safe and thriving environment for all participants from the grassroots through to the elite level.
Swimming Australia has appointed an independent panel of experts to investigate issues relating to women and girls' experiences in swimming, it added. The panel's report and recommendations are expected early next year.