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I was repeatedly raped by my coach, says two-time Olympic gold medallist

Published

5 years ago

January 14, 2019

South Korean two -time Olympic gold medallist , Shim Suk – hee , has accused her former coach , Cho Jae – beom , of repeatedly sexually assaulting her since she was 17 years old .
Twenty -one – year – old Shim Suk -hee is a member of South Korea ’ s national short -track speed skating team and a two – time Olympic gold medalist .

The New York Times reports that Mr . Cho , 38 , was sacked as national team coach shortly before the start of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang , South Korea , on allegations of “ violent abuse ” against athletes .

In September, he was sentenced to 10 months in prison for physically assaulting four athletes , including Shim, between 2011 and the run- up to the Pyeongchang Games.

There have been allegation among sports analysts that South Korea ’ s glory in short -track speed skating has been built on a brutal training regimen that included beatings and other forms of violence .

Speaking through his lawyers , coach Cho denied raping Shim, while the Police said that they had confiscated Cho ’ s cellphone and computers to look for criminal evidence .

Shim’ s accusations against her former coach have sent shock waves through the country ’ s sports community , as the athlete has won more than 20 gold medals in international competitions since 2012 , including a gold in the 3 , 000 – meter team relay at the 2014 Winter Olympics .

She also won the same medal in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang , South Korea .

In response , South Korean President , Moon Jae -in , said on Monday , “ This unveils the humiliating underside of our country ’ s glorious façade as a sports powerhouse ;” calling for a thorough investigation , and promising his government’ s cooperation to help other victims feel safe enough to speak out .

His remarks came as more than 260 , 000 people signed a petition to his office demanding a longer prison term for Mr . Cho .

Shim’ s troubles first came to public attention on January 2018 , when she left the national team training facility in the run- up to the Pyeongchang Games because of physical abuse .

Mr . Cho was quickly removed as coach after an investigation .

He was briefly hired to coach the Chinese national team after he was banned from working in South Korea , but he later returned home to face trial .

“ I came here so that there will be no more victims like me , ” Shim Suk – hee said