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Could you please tell me what lies are in this article? Could you point out or link to a public source that supports that these are lies?
Reports of Physical Abuse in the Camp of Former European Champion
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Could you please tell me what lies are in this article? Could you point out or link to a public source that supports that these are lies?
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2016
UPDATE from last week: There are new details around Julia Sebestyen's camp, reported by the largest local independent news outlet Telex.
On Wednesday morning (26 April), a coach of Jégördög SE called the police to Vasas Káposztásmegyer Ice Hall at around 7am after seeing strange, frightening figures around the ice rink. According to reports from the scene, there were three or four of them, the children were frightened and one of them started crying. The shady figures were already present on Monday afternoon (24 April), according to Rita Galambos, head coach of Jégördög SE, who informed the federation about the visitors. Galambos did not meet the frightening-looking men on Monday, but she did on Wednesday morning when she arrived for her training session. She went up to them and asked if they were looking for her. Later, she filed a complaint at the Újpest Police Station for intimidation. Only one of the men was a parent who was watching his daughter, the others were not.
The immediate background: the Hungarian National Skaters' Association (MOKSZ) ordered Galambos to a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday afternoon. They wanted to hear him because the federation had received a report that a verbal altercation had broken out between her and some parents.
"I am very happy that they want to investigate all the cases, but I find it very strange that they are starting with me and not with those who complained about Julia Sebestyen months earlier." said Galambos, referring to the letters of several parents who wrote to the federation in March alleging child abuse because of the pedagogical methods of the European champion Julia Sebestyen. "In these cases, the children complained of physical abuse, eating disorders, threats, panic disorder and intimidation, and had to be dealt with by a psychologist.
"I saw with my own eyes that someone had to slap themselves as punishment. In all cases, the common element is that these skaters are linked to Sebestyén. For some reason, these reports were put aside and no disciplinary hearings followed." said an upset Galambos, who was left in shock by the visit of the intimidating men. On Wednesday morning, she got into a heated argument with Sebestyen before going to the police, blaming her for the situation. Galambos also claimed that Sebestyen laughed in her face after Sebestyen talked to the men.
Rita Galambos is convinced that the federation is controlled by Sebestyen from behind the scenes, and that she has a strong influence on the head of the federation and her former coach Gurgen Vardanjan. On Wednesday morning, Vardanjan decided to suspend the use of the ice rink provided by the federation in the Vasas hall indefinitely. He has not yet informed the clubs skating there of the reasons behind his decision.
"I myself have been on the ice for thirty years and have put up with a lot. But it's beyond imagination that they're trying to destroy me by having henchmen arrive before a training session. Sebestyen is a European champion, she has a lot of prestige, but I've seen first-hand what happened to the kids she was handling.", Galambos told Telex. The coach is clearly shaken by what happened on Wednesday and in the previous weeks, but she is not afraid of anyone, although she says she knows in her heart that she has to pay a heavy price and stop coaching, which she considers her life's work. Halambos believes that if the complaints from parents against Sebestyen (which include physical abuse) do not have the desired effect, the people concerned cannot remain silent any longer and must speak out, even if it is painful, because it is their children.
"I have a suspicion that the henchmen have something to do with Sebestyen, she has already spoken to them, after all. I told this to the police because they suggested that I report it, and I did. I may become Joan of Arc, and even if I fall, I will not back down, because I am only interested in the truth. And the truth has a way of always coming out."
Of course we also contacted Julia Sebestyen about Wednesday's incident. She said at the outset that there was another filed police report, not just that of Galambos. Sebestyen told 24.hu in February, when it was already known there's an ongoing issue with the parental complaints, that "I always carry out my work in accordance with the spirit of the IOCS, the European Sports Charter and the Code of Ethics for Sport, and I am wary of any physical and verbal violence, humiliating or offensive practices, both as a person, as a former athlete and as a coach".
Sebestyen reacted to the incident in an email to Telex. "The unfortunate and extremely damaging hate campaign against the sport of figure skating, which has been going on for months, has reached a new low. Rita Galambos has been waging a systematic campaign against me, the parents and athletes belonging to my club (SKSE) for the past weeks, and this morning it has already culminated in verbal and physical violence. Unfortunately, she has been regularly provoking and insulting the club's athletes and parents, and as a result, athletes only dare to come to training with their fathers and male relatives because they are afraid of her. During the training sessions on Wednesday morning, he again insulted the parents and then attacked me and my colleague, using expletives and foul language. She also damaged and smashed a toilet door with skates in several places. Police officers arrived on the scene and managed to prevent further violence. One of my coaching colleagues filed a complaint for assault. This horrific incident shows that we must put an end to the accusations and slander in the sport, because they have such terrible consequences."
Personal note: I posted the accusations on the Facebook page of Sebestyen's club in February, requesting clarification. My comment was removed within a minute. A tried two more times with the same result. The last time I also got an angry emoji in a PM before I got banned from the page for good.
On Wednesday morning (26 April), a coach of Jégördög SE called the police to Vasas Káposztásmegyer Ice Hall at around 7am after seeing strange, frightening figures around the ice rink. According to reports from the scene, there were three or four of them, the children were frightened and one of them started crying. The shady figures were already present on Monday afternoon (24 April), according to Rita Galambos, head coach of Jégördög SE, who informed the federation about the visitors. Galambos did not meet the frightening-looking men on Monday, but she did on Wednesday morning when she arrived for her training session. She went up to them and asked if they were looking for her. Later, she filed a complaint at the Újpest Police Station for intimidation. Only one of the men was a parent who was watching his daughter, the others were not.
The immediate background: the Hungarian National Skaters' Association (MOKSZ) ordered Galambos to a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday afternoon. They wanted to hear him because the federation had received a report that a verbal altercation had broken out between her and some parents.
"I am very happy that they want to investigate all the cases, but I find it very strange that they are starting with me and not with those who complained about Julia Sebestyen months earlier." said Galambos, referring to the letters of several parents who wrote to the federation in March alleging child abuse because of the pedagogical methods of the European champion Julia Sebestyen. "In these cases, the children complained of physical abuse, eating disorders, threats, panic disorder and intimidation, and had to be dealt with by a psychologist.
"I saw with my own eyes that someone had to slap themselves as punishment. In all cases, the common element is that these skaters are linked to Sebestyén. For some reason, these reports were put aside and no disciplinary hearings followed." said an upset Galambos, who was left in shock by the visit of the intimidating men. On Wednesday morning, she got into a heated argument with Sebestyen before going to the police, blaming her for the situation. Galambos also claimed that Sebestyen laughed in her face after Sebestyen talked to the men.
Rita Galambos is convinced that the federation is controlled by Sebestyen from behind the scenes, and that she has a strong influence on the head of the federation and her former coach Gurgen Vardanjan. On Wednesday morning, Vardanjan decided to suspend the use of the ice rink provided by the federation in the Vasas hall indefinitely. He has not yet informed the clubs skating there of the reasons behind his decision.
"I myself have been on the ice for thirty years and have put up with a lot. But it's beyond imagination that they're trying to destroy me by having henchmen arrive before a training session. Sebestyen is a European champion, she has a lot of prestige, but I've seen first-hand what happened to the kids she was handling.", Galambos told Telex. The coach is clearly shaken by what happened on Wednesday and in the previous weeks, but she is not afraid of anyone, although she says she knows in her heart that she has to pay a heavy price and stop coaching, which she considers her life's work. Halambos believes that if the complaints from parents against Sebestyen (which include physical abuse) do not have the desired effect, the people concerned cannot remain silent any longer and must speak out, even if it is painful, because it is their children.
"I have a suspicion that the henchmen have something to do with Sebestyen, she has already spoken to them, after all. I told this to the police because they suggested that I report it, and I did. I may become Joan of Arc, and even if I fall, I will not back down, because I am only interested in the truth. And the truth has a way of always coming out."
Of course we also contacted Julia Sebestyen about Wednesday's incident. She said at the outset that there was another filed police report, not just that of Galambos. Sebestyen told 24.hu in February, when it was already known there's an ongoing issue with the parental complaints, that "I always carry out my work in accordance with the spirit of the IOCS, the European Sports Charter and the Code of Ethics for Sport, and I am wary of any physical and verbal violence, humiliating or offensive practices, both as a person, as a former athlete and as a coach".
Sebestyen reacted to the incident in an email to Telex. "The unfortunate and extremely damaging hate campaign against the sport of figure skating, which has been going on for months, has reached a new low. Rita Galambos has been waging a systematic campaign against me, the parents and athletes belonging to my club (SKSE) for the past weeks, and this morning it has already culminated in verbal and physical violence. Unfortunately, she has been regularly provoking and insulting the club's athletes and parents, and as a result, athletes only dare to come to training with their fathers and male relatives because they are afraid of her. During the training sessions on Wednesday morning, he again insulted the parents and then attacked me and my colleague, using expletives and foul language. She also damaged and smashed a toilet door with skates in several places. Police officers arrived on the scene and managed to prevent further violence. One of my coaching colleagues filed a complaint for assault. This horrific incident shows that we must put an end to the accusations and slander in the sport, because they have such terrible consequences."
Personal note: I posted the accusations on the Facebook page of Sebestyen's club in February, requesting clarification. My comment was removed within a minute. A tried two more times with the same result. The last time I also got an angry emoji in a PM before I got banned from the page for good.
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