It's been a while since she started fundraising. How is she doing? Are there any news?
ETA: and the news came from the AnythingGOEs article
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Figure skating in Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)
- Thread starter Anna K.
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ETA: and the news came from the AnythingGOEs article
Sofja Stepcenko and other Latvian skaters spoke out about allegations of abuse at Kristal Ice, content warning for the article as it describes what they've gone through:
"It's not worth your life”: Latvian skaters speak out about abuse
Latvian figure skaters have brought forward allegations against the leaders of the Kristal Ice figure skating club in Riga.
anythinggoe.com
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- Sep 22, 2024
This is so sad and awful. Why is this sport so full of such horrible people harming children? And those two coaches was praised to the heavens just last weekend at JGP Riga for being great hosts and taking care of the skaters who came without their coaches. Disgusting. May the justice reach them (although I doubt it will). Sofja is a brave girl and I hope she'll find her peace and never experience this sh** again.Sofja Stepcenko spoke out about allegations of abuse at Kristal Ice:
"It's not worth your life”: Latvian skaters speak out about abuse
Latvian figure skaters have brought forward allegations against the leaders of the Kristal Ice figure skating club in Riga.anythinggoe.com
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This is because, in this sport that involves children, it's not necessary to be a "horrible child-harming person" to cause the damage. Insufficient qualification or failure in the system may lead to serious harm anyway.
Olga Kovalkova is the last person to be described as an "evil witch". There have been many counts when she has been supportive to skaters and coaches and she has done and is still doing great job to make Kristal Ice club a good host of JGP and many other competitions, i.e. the Volvo Cup series. That's why I am very reluctant to throw her under the bus - I believe everybody else will also be except Sofja who is reasonably angry. Regardless, I kind of hope that the bus will reach Olga with some impact because I would not overrate Olga's and other Latvian coaches' qualification when it comes to spotting psychological problems in children. According to Olga and/or any other Latvian coach' with similar qualification and experience, a child like Sofja is simply a misbehaving undisciplined child. This coaching attitude needs to change. Also, the supposed collaboration with LOV doctors clearly shows gaps in the system. This should be fixed, too. Will changes be possible now when all parties are so heated and aggressive? We'll see.
Latvian media have not reacted to the AnythingGOEs interview yet. I'll post here the updates when such will be available.
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The update: during the past week, most Latvian media published the recap of AnythingGOEs article but none asked for extra comments from Sofja Stepcenko or Kristal Ice club. There is an explanation: right now in Latvia, the most important sports event is European Basketball Championships; which means that the sports staff of most media is busy covering the basketball-related topics like nothing else matters.
The only news company that has asked for a comment from Reinsalu (who is Estonian) thus far has been Estonian ERR:
Reinsalu, who is in Ankara, Turkey, for the junior GP stage, said in a short comment sent to ERR that Stepcenko's accusations came as a shock to them, and promised to comment further after the competitions. "This is a Latvian athlete with whom we had 13 years of successful cooperation with increasing results both in GP stages and in title competitions. The last one and a half seasons Sofja spent in Switzerland. According to Sofja's own words, she wanted to try training in an international company and live away from Latvia. What has happened during this time can only be read on social media. We ourselves are of course shocked by this interview. In 20 years, Sofja or anyone else has not been insulted in our club," Reinsalu said. "I hope that this situation will be resolved quickly. Unfortunately, in this era, it has become fashionable to blame others for one's own failures."
"It is extremely pleasant and I would like to thank hundreds of people from around the world – coaches, former and current athletes, parents of athletes, various federations with whom we have worked and are working – for the support we have received during these three days. It is fantastic that they are ready to prove that nothing bad has ever happened at our club," Reinsalu added.
That's all for now.
Since Sofja has submitted official complaints, I'm guessing that at a certain point Latvian media will catch up on this matter to check how the proceedings are going. It's hard to say when it will happen but I will do my best to bring the updates to this thread.
The only news company that has asked for a comment from Reinsalu (who is Estonian) thus far has been Estonian ERR:
Since the ERR article for the most part simply retells the AnythingGOEs publication, I'll post here only the Reinsalu's commentary specifically for ERR:
Läti iluuisutaja süüdistab eestlasest treenerit väärkohtlemises
Mitu Läti iluuisutajat, nende seas kahekordne Läti meister Sofja Stepcenko süüdistavad Riia iluuisuklubi Kristal Ice treenereid Olga Kovalkovat ja Raimo Reinsalu vaimses ja füüsilises väärkohtlemises. Treenerite sõnul ei vasta süüdistused tõele, Läti uisuliit algatas uurimise.sport.err.ee
Reinsalu, who is in Ankara, Turkey, for the junior GP stage, said in a short comment sent to ERR that Stepcenko's accusations came as a shock to them, and promised to comment further after the competitions. "This is a Latvian athlete with whom we had 13 years of successful cooperation with increasing results both in GP stages and in title competitions. The last one and a half seasons Sofja spent in Switzerland. According to Sofja's own words, she wanted to try training in an international company and live away from Latvia. What has happened during this time can only be read on social media. We ourselves are of course shocked by this interview. In 20 years, Sofja or anyone else has not been insulted in our club," Reinsalu said. "I hope that this situation will be resolved quickly. Unfortunately, in this era, it has become fashionable to blame others for one's own failures."
"It is extremely pleasant and I would like to thank hundreds of people from around the world – coaches, former and current athletes, parents of athletes, various federations with whom we have worked and are working – for the support we have received during these three days. It is fantastic that they are ready to prove that nothing bad has ever happened at our club," Reinsalu added.
That's all for now.
Since Sofja has submitted official complaints, I'm guessing that at a certain point Latvian media will catch up on this matter to check how the proceedings are going. It's hard to say when it will happen but I will do my best to bring the updates to this thread.
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- Oct 20, 2017
Part two of the investigation from Anything GOEs, which includes others speaking out about their own allegations.
New Allegations Emerge as Latvian Club Defends Coaches Accused of Abuse
In the week since AnythingGOE published the allegations from Sofja Stepcenko against the Latvian coaches Olga Kovalkova and Raimo Reinsalu, additional skaters have stepped forward with their own allegations of abuse against the same coaches.
anythinggoe.com
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- Sep 22, 2024
I just want to drop it here: I believe those victims, they are very brave and I hope they will find their ways to heal from this.
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- Oct 20, 2017
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Is there a way to see this article in English?
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2017
Google Chrome has automatic translation.
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- Feb 12, 2014
Google translate worked for me, even though it showed an error that going from Latvian to English wasn't available.
This is the quote that stands out to me from the whole thing, but otherwise, there's really isn't anything new in this article:
LSA Secretary General Anna Beļēviča :
Here is a better way. Look up Deniss' blog that this article is based on:
Uldis Šauers needs to resign. In the short period of time since he became the head of the LSA, there has been a scandal after scandal after scandal. If he will not, then we have a logical question: what more needs to happen?
Myself, I would find it really interesting if Latvian sports journalists did some research about how comes that Šauers got elected to start with.
Once I am posting, I'll say a few words regarding previous posts about Sofja's case.
I guess that auto-translation of Instagram reels is not available, so I made a transcript of what Ksenija said in her video:
Hi, everybody! This video is something absolutely new to me and I want you to listen to it because I genuinely believe that it can help everyone. Right now, there is a web article which is related to the people from my past, the people that I used to skate with and I [still] care about, and there is a bit of a conflict between these people. You may disagree with my following opinion, it’s normal [to have different opinions], but I really, really hope that we can agree on the following statement: violence is bad. Violence against minors - it’s horrible, and violence of an adult man towards a minor girl – and I want you to understand that I am not talking about physical violence right now, absolutely not about physical [violence], [but] about any kind of violence. Yet we learned from the article that physical [violence] took place, too, and that’s why I am addressing you, people from my past, the parents of the people from my past, or simply people who are somehow related to this story: if we want, if we dream about bright future for us, for our next generations, do we really need to defend this man solely because you have a different experience and solely because you know him for a long time? And now [speaks jokingly], I have something for my beloved coach, who will most likely see this [video]. Hi, Raimo! Here, in front of you, is the girl whom you used to tell that she will not achieve anything in her life. You were absolutely right. Here I am, I have no achievements and that’s why I am hyping and making videos. It would be easier to see it this way, wouldn’t it? And now, seriously: Man, put yourself together! All what you need to do is to admit making mistakes – and who of us doesn’t make mistakes? - to apologize, to get the coaching license, learn about the basics of pedagogy, and never screw up like this again! Thank you.
Had the people from Ksenija's past listened to her, we would have been over this incident already. But now, I don't know when we will
Myself, I would find it really interesting if Latvian sports journalists did some research about how comes that Šauers got elected to start with.
Once I am posting, I'll say a few words regarding previous posts about Sofja's case.
This is a bookmark-worthy article which describes the situation of Latvian figure skating very well but its title is misleading. The situation is not "the club defends the coaches". Kristal Ice is the family business of Olga and Raimo. Latvia is a small country. Many sports enterprises are but family businesses. So, the situation is: Olga and Raimo are defending themselves and the club.Part two of the investigation from Anything GOEs, which includes others speaking out about their own allegations.
New Allegations Emerge as Latvian Club Defends Coaches Accused of Abuse
In the week since AnythingGOE published the allegations from Sofja Stepcenko against the Latvian coaches Olga Kovalkova and Raimo Reinsalu, additional skaters have stepped forward with their own allegations of abuse against the same coaches.anythinggoe.com
I guess that auto-translation of Instagram reels is not available, so I made a transcript of what Ksenija said in her video:
Hi, everybody! This video is something absolutely new to me and I want you to listen to it because I genuinely believe that it can help everyone. Right now, there is a web article which is related to the people from my past, the people that I used to skate with and I [still] care about, and there is a bit of a conflict between these people. You may disagree with my following opinion, it’s normal [to have different opinions], but I really, really hope that we can agree on the following statement: violence is bad. Violence against minors - it’s horrible, and violence of an adult man towards a minor girl – and I want you to understand that I am not talking about physical violence right now, absolutely not about physical [violence], [but] about any kind of violence. Yet we learned from the article that physical [violence] took place, too, and that’s why I am addressing you, people from my past, the parents of the people from my past, or simply people who are somehow related to this story: if we want, if we dream about bright future for us, for our next generations, do we really need to defend this man solely because you have a different experience and solely because you know him for a long time? And now [speaks jokingly], I have something for my beloved coach, who will most likely see this [video]. Hi, Raimo! Here, in front of you, is the girl whom you used to tell that she will not achieve anything in her life. You were absolutely right. Here I am, I have no achievements and that’s why I am hyping and making videos. It would be easier to see it this way, wouldn’t it? And now, seriously: Man, put yourself together! All what you need to do is to admit making mistakes – and who of us doesn’t make mistakes? - to apologize, to get the coaching license, learn about the basics of pedagogy, and never screw up like this again! Thank you.
Had the people from Ksenija's past listened to her, we would have been over this incident already. But now, I don't know when we will
Uldis Šauers needs to resign. In the short period of time since he became the head of the LSA, there has been a scandal after scandal after scandal. If he will not, then we have a logical question: what more needs to happen?
Myself, I would find it really interesting if Latvian sports journalists did some research about how comes that Šauers got elected to start with.
Once I am posting, I'll say a few words regarding previous posts about Sofja's case.
I guess that auto-translation of Instagram reels is not available, so I made a transcript of what Ksenija said in her video:
Hi, everybody! This video is something absolutely new to me and I want you to listen to it because I genuinely believe that it can help everyone. Right now, there is a web article which is related to the people from my past, the people that I used to skate with and I [still] care about, and there is a bit of a conflict between these people. You may disagree with my following opinion, it’s normal [to have different opinions], but I really, really hope that we can agree on the following statement: violence is bad. Violence against minors - it’s horrible, and violence of an adult man towards a minor girl – and I want you to understand that I am not talking about physical violence right now, absolutely not about physical [violence], [but] about any kind of violence. Yet we learned from the article that physical [violence] took place, too, and that’s why I am addressing you, people from my past, the parents of the people from my past, or simply people who are somehow related to this story: if we want, if we dream about bright future for us, for our next generations, do we really need to defend this man solely because you have a different experience and solely because you know him for a long time? And now [speaks jokingly], I have something for my beloved coach, who will most likely see this [video]. Hi, Raimo! Here, in front of you, is the girl whom you used to tell that she will not achieve anything in her life. You were absolutely right. Here I am, I have no achievements and that’s why I am hyping and making videos. It would be easier to see it this way, wouldn’t it? And now, seriously: Man, put yourself together! All what you need to do is to admit making mistakes – and who of us doesn’t make mistakes? - to apologize, to get the coaching license, learn about the basics of pedagogy, and never screw up like this again! Thank you.
Had the people from Ksenija's past listened to her, we would have been over this incident already. But now, I don't know when we will
Myself, I would find it really interesting if Latvian sports journalists did some research about how comes that Šauers got elected to start with.
Once I am posting, I'll say a few words regarding previous posts about Sofja's case.
This is a bookmark-worthy article which describes the situation of Latvian figure skating very well but its title is misleading. The situation is not "the club defends the coaches". Kristal Ice is the family business of Olga and Raimo. Latvia is a small country. Many sports enterprises are but family businesses. So, the situation is: Olga and Raimo are defending themselves and the club.Part two of the investigation from Anything GOEs, which includes others speaking out about their own allegations.
New Allegations Emerge as Latvian Club Defends Coaches Accused of Abuse
In the week since AnythingGOE published the allegations from Sofja Stepcenko against the Latvian coaches Olga Kovalkova and Raimo Reinsalu, additional skaters have stepped forward with their own allegations of abuse against the same coaches.anythinggoe.com
I guess that auto-translation of Instagram reels is not available, so I made a transcript of what Ksenija said in her video:
Hi, everybody! This video is something absolutely new to me and I want you to listen to it because I genuinely believe that it can help everyone. Right now, there is a web article which is related to the people from my past, the people that I used to skate with and I [still] care about, and there is a bit of a conflict between these people. You may disagree with my following opinion, it’s normal [to have different opinions], but I really, really hope that we can agree on the following statement: violence is bad. Violence against minors - it’s horrible, and violence of an adult man towards a minor girl – and I want you to understand that I am not talking about physical violence right now, absolutely not about physical [violence], [but] about any kind of violence. Yet we learned from the article that physical [violence] took place, too, and that’s why I am addressing you, people from my past, the parents of the people from my past, or simply people who are somehow related to this story: if we want, if we dream about bright future for us, for our next generations, do we really need to defend this man solely because you have a different experience and solely because you know him for a long time? And now [speaks jokingly], I have something for my beloved coach, who will most likely see this [video]. Hi, Raimo! Here, in front of you, is the girl whom you used to tell that she will not achieve anything in her life. You were absolutely right. Here I am, I have no achievements and that’s why I am hyping and making videos. It would be easier to see it this way, wouldn’t it? And now, seriously: Man, put yourself together! All what you need to do is to admit making mistakes – and who of us doesn’t make mistakes? - to apologize, to get the coaching license, learn about the basics of pedagogy, and never screw up like this again! Thank you.
Had the people from Ksenija's past listened to her, we would have been over this incident already. But now, I don't know when we will
Part three on the Latvian federation from Anything GOEs, which goes into the financial issues:
Skaters criticise Latvian federation’s delayed and inconsistent funding
Deniss Vasiljevs withdrew from the Nebelhorn Trophy because of the impact ongoing issues with the Latvian federation have had on his training.
anythinggoe.com
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- Oct 20, 2017
Very upsetting. I feel for all the Latvian skaters.Part three on the Latvian federation from Anything GOEs, which goes into the financial issues:
Skaters criticise Latvian federation’s delayed and inconsistent funding
Deniss Vasiljevs withdrew from the Nebelhorn Trophy because of the impact ongoing issues with the Latvian federation have had on his training.anythinggoe.com
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2024
You would think a federation would do its best to put Deniss into the best possible conditions given he already got enough results. But no common sense, apparently. Glad he has his crowdfunding to rely on, at least partially.
Add on top of that, what the other skaters are facing on their own ...
Add on top of that, what the other skaters are facing on their own ...
