By Cathy Chapaty
Eight years
ago in Las Vegas, I volunteered for USA Taekwondo (USAT) during its annual U.S.
Open Taekwondo Championships. I was paired with a friendly USAT coach named
Marc Gitelman. (His students called him Master G.) He was there to coach a
16-year-old girl from Russia whose coach decided not to attend. Gitelman
generously let the athlete crash in his hotel room to save money.
When the
Russian girl initially arrived at the competition venue at the Tropicana Hotel,
she was bubbly and sweet, excited to compete. A few days later, she seemed
deflated and defeated. The girl in the ring wasn’t the same girl I’d met a few
days earlier. I wondered what changed.
Six years
later, Gitelman
was sentenced to more than four years in prison for multiple felony counts
that included unlawful sexual intercourse and lewd acts upon a child. I
suddenly remembered the Russian girl, and feared that she’d been molested. I
felt awful that I didn’t question Giteman’s lodging offer—that I didn’t think
to protect her.
I’ve been
banging the clichéd drum to encourage martial artists to report abusive coaches
and teammates ever since.
Olympic Taekwondo
coach Marc Gitelman was sentenced in September 2015 to more than four years in
prison for multiple felony counts that included unlawful sexual intercourse and
lewd acts upon a child.
Last
October, newly appointed USAT Executive Director Steve McNally asked me to be
USAT’s liaison for the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a nonprofit organization
tasked with combating bullying, hazing, harassment, and sexual abuse in Olympic
sports. McNally had replaced former director Keith Ferguson, who resigned
in September 2017 amid allegations that USAT mishandled misconduct cases during
his tenure.
My task was simple:
Create a safe environment for athletes to talk about abuse and determine the
pervasiveness of the problem. If athletes wanted to formally report abuse, I’d
refer them to SafeSport, USAT, or local police. I wouldn’t pressure anyone to
report, though. My job was to listen and educate athletes on their rights and
options.
In the past
year, I’ve fielded countless phone calls, e-mails, Facebook messages, and
texts, and read victim statements submitted to Congress from athletes—mostly
women—from all over the country who suffered abuse. The majority of athletes
have been former and current USAT members. Some are still in the Olympic
pipeline system and remain hesitant to file formal complaints. Others quietly
disappeared from competition long ago—quit the sport completely rather than
face abusers at tournaments across the country.
Eerie similarities
Almost
immediately, eerie similarities emerged in their stories:
·
A
high-profile coach showers a young athlete with praise.
·
The
mentor tells the athlete about his sex life, and asks about hers.
·
During
an overnight competition, the athlete goes to the coach’s hotel room to discuss
competition strategy. An assault occurs.
·
The
athlete is afraid to tell anyone, but months afterward she finally reports the
abuse.
·
She
isn’t believed.
Convincing
athletes to speak out—not to mention file complaints—has been more difficult
than all my black belt exams combined.
All the
athletes are afraid to talk.
One woman
was so scared and still scarred by her experience that she could only text, “I
just want you to know, me, too.”
A change in the guard
USAT has a
history of being slow
to investigate abuse claims of misconduct, especially if the accused were
medal winners or coaches of champions.
According to
two former U.S. National Team members, USAT leaders prior to McNally
warned them to keep quiet about their abuse claims because they would “ruin the
coach’s career.” Meanwhile, coaches and teammates suspected of or under
investigation for abuse have maintained their current roles and privileges.
In addition,
according to an Olympic Taekwondo veteran who requested anonymity, even when
USAT took warranted action against a high-profile coach, the U.S. Olympic
Committee (USOC) overruled its decision.
Attempts by
USAT’s past leadership to hush victims has had a residual impact on keeping
today’s voices silent. Not surprisingly, the majority of those abused who are
still in the Olympic pipeline are afraid to come forward. They don’t want to
risk their chance to compete in the Olympics, either as an athlete or future
coach.
These
athletes aren’t dumb; they’re realists. They have good reason to remain silent.
Past reporting athletes have been ostracized by the Taekwondo community because
they accused popular coaches and athletes of abuse. Some reporting athletes
have been labeled crazy. Their reputations have been tarnished.
But this
year, athletes who have been quiet are finally coming forward on the heels
of the #metoo movement. Athletes who have never spoken out publicly have
quietly sent statements to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, the bipartisan lawmakers charged
with investigating abuse in organized sports. Public hearings are expected.
When one
athlete finally comes forward, others find the courage to do the same.
Kendra Gatt,
one of Gitelman’s students, remained silent about her coach’s abuse for two
years. She came forward after seeing a Facebook post from another athlete.
“When I discovered
that I wasn’t the only one that it happened to, I put some pieces together and
realized I wasn’t going to be the last either,” she told the Los Angeles Times.
“I decided to voice what happened to me because I never wanted it to happen to
any other girl or athlete….”
Breaking the silence
Since
Gitelman’s conviction and suspension from USAT, three former students were awarded
$60 million in damages in
a civil lawsuit. (A judge released USAT and the USOC as defendants in the
case.)
In January,
Congress passed legislation requiring sports governing bodies to promptly
report abuse claims to law enforcement.
Meanwhile,
Congress is seeking witness statements regarding sexual abuse claims by
athletes within USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming, and USA Taekwondo. In addition,
the committee has demanded reports from all 48 Olympic national governing
bodies regarding their abuse reporting protocols.
Congressional
hearings will likely shine a horrifying spotlight on the pervasiveness of
sexual abuse and misconduct in Taekwondo and other Olympic sports. But I’ll
only feel satisfied that I did the job McNally assigned when I witness the dam
of silence break wide open.
—–
Athletes at Risk Series
This
five-part series explores sexual abuse and misconduct in Olympic Taekwondo. Due
to the sensitivity of the subject matter, some sources have asked to remain
anonymous.
Part 1: Convincing Olympic Athletes
to Report Sexual Abuse, Misconduct a Hard Art
Part 2: The Evolution of Abuse of
Power
Part 3: Martial Arts Leaders:
Education Key to Ending Sexual Abuse
Part 4: 7 Tips to Prevent Sexual
Abuse, Misconduct
Part 5:
COMMENTARY: Congress Must Intervene to Ensure Athletes’ Safety
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