Scandal in tennis: complaint of sexual abuse, resignation and the reaction of the No. 1 in the world, Iga Swiatek

Poland, the country that holds the best tennis player of the world ranking (Iga Swiatek), is shaken by a very serious situation involving the president of the racket sport Federation of that European nation. Miroslaw Skrzypczynski was accused of sexual harassment and other violent acts by different players. The Polish Tennis Federation (PZT) created an investigative commission and, meanwhile, Skrzypczynski He resigned and was immediately accepted.

”During a meeting of the board of directors of the Polish Tennis Federation held on November 24, 2022, Miroslaw Skrzypczynski submitted his resignation (…) with immediate effect. Skrzypczynski’s resignation was unanimously accepted,” the federation reported.

The (now former) president of the PZT was accused by a Polish MP, Katarzyna Kotula, of sexual harassment in the early 1990s, when she was between 13 and 14 years old. According to the woman, other players were also victims of similar behavior by Skrzypczynski, whom the deputy described as a “sexual predator.”

Skrzypczynski was his coach at a club in northwestern Poland. Kotula’s remarks came after other accusations recently published in the Polish press, under the protection of anonymity. The leader, in the position of president since 2017, rejected those accusations, but he still walked away from office.

Swiatek, who dominates the world tennis circuit with hierarchy, took the floor assessing that “the leading institutions should determine what happened”, hoping “that they take care of it”. “As the current number one in women’s tennis, I cannot remain silent,” he indicated in a long series of tweets and also inviting victims of harassment and violence to seek professional help, publishing the numbers of psychological support telephone platforms.

Swiatek, who this season has won titles in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, Roland Garros, US Open and San Diego, said he had not been a victim of this type of behavior. Beyond her personal experience, she supported the decision of the Polish Tennis Federation to create an external independent commission made up of three women to investigate “all the circumstances surrounding the cases linked to Miroslaw Skrzypczynski, which have generated press articles, interviews and recent reports. The commission must submit its report within six months.

Kotula confessed, with great anguish, her past experience with Skrzypczynski: “He would comment on the maturation of our bodies, shouting: ‘You have boobs!’ He other times he said that we have ‘good asses’. He would ask the boys if they wanted to touch us. Skrzypczyński began to look for opportunities for physical contact: he touched, rubbed.

“The President of PZT resigned from his position. I can’t imagine it could be any other way, but this is not the end, but rather the beginning of this story, which must end in justice for many who have been harmed. I hope this is the beginning of the changes. This is no longer a story about me, ”Kotula wrote on his social media.

THE NATION