Solène Mazingue pursues legal action for sexual assault
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From the article: At the same time, there is another athlete in the American federation who is accused of having contact with a minor.
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I post this here since Solene inspired her to speak up public:
Olivia Oliver just posted on Instagram about being SA 2 years ago in Canada, it seems this happen in the figure skating environment, she developed ED after this among other challenges. She also address a problem that "there is a lot of selected protection in the environment which I want to see eliminated"
Edit: Feel free to move this to another thread if this is not the right place
Olivia Oliver just posted on Instagram about being SA 2 years ago in Canada, it seems this happen in the figure skating environment, she developed ED after this among other challenges. She also address a problem that "there is a lot of selected protection in the environment which I want to see eliminated"
Edit: Feel free to move this to another thread if this is not the right place
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Probably has that information confused as well. There is nothing on SafeSport about it?From the article: At the same time, there is another athlete in the American federation who is accused of having contact with a minor.
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I read somewhere else that a Russian article said Destayov’s suspension was because he had contact with a minor, so it seems there is confusion in Russian reporting….maybe he has been suspended for that as well?
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This information was incorrect. The resource has apologised for it and replaced it with the one above.
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Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Solene has received the support she deserved behind closed doors 
In her newest post, she has also revealed that she has been unable to skate since last Worlds due to the mental trauma she has endured
In her newest post, she has also revealed that she has been unable to skate since last Worlds due to the mental trauma she has endured
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On the other hand, her bravery has inspired other skaters to come forward. Polish Ice Dancer Olivia Oliver has now also opened up about being sexually assaulted in 2022 (TW: She explains the aftermath quite clearly), thanking Solene for giving her the courage:
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Ah thanks for clarifying
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Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Solene has received the support she deserved behind closed doors
In her newest post, she has also revealed that she has been unable to skate since last Worlds due to the mental trauma she has endured
I was the one who actually asked her the question she responded to about the support from her coaches. Very disappointing :-( Good for her for still speaking out and pressing charges.
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My heart goes out to Solene. How awful to not only go through such a traumatic and painful experience but to have it compounded by a lack of support from people you trusted when support is most needed. She is incredibly brave to speak out and I’m furious on her behalf and on Olivia Oliver’s, as well as all the victims who have been silenced by such conditions of complacency and uncaring coaches and officials. I hope they receive the justice and healing they deserve.
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This shit has gotten on for too long. Why are there so many coaches who are horrible people. The closed environment figure skatering operates in starts reminding me of the Catholic church and their scandals.
Because it's a business. Unlike alot of sports that rely on parent volunteers as coaches, especially at the lower levels, figure skating coaches are all in business for themselves. Bringing attention to such toxicity in their training group is bad for their bottom line. It's an unfortunate fact. I've seen coaches who seem like perfectly nice people turn a blind eye to very questionable and borderline criminal behaviour.
There was a harness coach from one club that had a complaint filed against him by a minor skater. He was hired the week after by another club down the street, despite knowing he was being investigated. (The harness coach in question has since been suspended by Skate Canada). That club knowingly put their skaters in danger with a potential predator.
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Parents are sending their kind to coaches who are known abusers but judges tend to give their skaters better scores. Parents are lashing out on children who say they don't want to train anymore or with certain coach. Parent are supporting weight loss and not well being of their children. What are we even talking about? And it's not only FS, this is problem in all disciplines where you have to start training in very young age. And so called "fans" deny to see it because abused children do things that adults aren't able to do or decide not to do. It will be success if both cases end with punishing the abusers, but I don't believe there will be permanent and significant change.
I don't know why, but these two last cases of Solene and Olivia have really hit me hard. I have been a fan of the sport for 26 years now, casaual at first, but the more involved I've become the more aware I am of the ugly side of sport....abuse, eating disorders, "golden boy" culture, politics etc. As I'm heading of to Nepela Memorial today it just occured to me that we talk about culture, about abuse from coaches, partners, about parents who close their eyes over borderline criminal behaviour only so their kid can be the next big thing, but as Karoltyna mentioned we barely talk about fans being part of the problem too.
When the Sorensen ban came in and IAM was mentioned in that connection, there was immediately flock of fans who brushed it off as it happened way before he came to IAM. Yet, IAM chose to do nothing until the ban, now we have two more recent cases tied to Montreal, we have confirmation from Gabrielle and Solene about the lack of support from their coaches. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying this is IAM issue only, but still the school is still glorified by fans and ISU, the judges continue to give the skaters boost in scores for no reason other just because they are part of the training group and it just leaves bitter taste in my mouth, because something has to change. The sport just can't go on like this anymore. The predators have to be gone and I believe we as fans should be part of the change. I really hope both Solene and Olivia will get justice, that the people who assaulted them will receive a harsh penalty and ban from the sport.
When the Sorensen ban came in and IAM was mentioned in that connection, there was immediately flock of fans who brushed it off as it happened way before he came to IAM. Yet, IAM chose to do nothing until the ban, now we have two more recent cases tied to Montreal, we have confirmation from Gabrielle and Solene about the lack of support from their coaches. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying this is IAM issue only, but still the school is still glorified by fans and ISU, the judges continue to give the skaters boost in scores for no reason other just because they are part of the training group and it just leaves bitter taste in my mouth, because something has to change. The sport just can't go on like this anymore. The predators have to be gone and I believe we as fans should be part of the change. I really hope both Solene and Olivia will get justice, that the people who assaulted them will receive a harsh penalty and ban from the sport.
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I’ve been a huge fan of IAM because I think they’ve done a lot for pushing ice dance forward in the way that Canton did in the early oughts. I’m also all for MIDA and Zanni’s camp giving IAM a run for their money because I think this will only benefit the sport, with different camps creating new ideas and competing to be the best.
I do, however, completely agree with you and understand where you are coming from. I’ve been a huge fan of this sport for many years and I feel so disappointed with IAM and the sport overall, and I feel very said for Solene, Olivia, and all the other victims who have had their safe place taken away from them. As figure skating fans we want to believe in the best of the skaters and the coaches, which is maybe naive, well at least on my part.
It got me thinking about an interview I watched with Tessa Virtue recently (on The Player’s Own Voice). I think the interview is a year or so old. In the interview she talked about how as an athlete she was trained to shut off all emotion. She also talked about how she didn’t get the mental health support she needed as an athlete, until the end of her career (so with IAM).
She said the mental health support was an enormous help but it wasn’t until after she left skating that she realised how much she needed to unlearn around shutting off emotions, because as athletes they never received any support around dealing with the emotional impact of things. The mental health support was more about performing as an athlete.
This really struck me as it made me think that it sounds like the reason so many teams like training at IAM is because of all the extra support they receive, which maybe wasn’t previously available in other schools, to create and perform well AS ATHLETES. But that’s where that support ends, because at the end of the day that is their job as coaches, I guess much like any other workplace.
Which would then make sense about Gabby’s experience around her abortion and I guess that extends to the lack of support around Solene taking the SA charges forward. I know ppl will bring up Sorensen, but again we only saw them supporting him at competitions and I doubt that support extended to supporting him on dealing with the investigation, beyond his ability to deliver on the ice.
Considering that most figure skating coaches are ex-skaters who would have been taught to shut off their emotions like Tessa said, it makes sense that this toxic culture prevails and coaches are able to shut off that emotional side of themselves to only focus on their “business”.
I am not saying this kind of behaviour is right or acceptable. I’ve just been trying to understand the juxtaposition of a training camp like IAM where so many of the skaters and coaches genuinely appear to be close and to have an overall happy training environment (again appreciate this will not be the experience of all), with the revelations from Gabby and Solene.
And while I think it’s great that IAM is providing their athletes with the right support they need as athletes, I think it is right that we expect more than that from them and other training camps. From the perspective of a wider context - there is a lot of change across a lot of industries where people want emotionally intelligent bosses and leaders (I’ve seen this change in the last few years at my own work, thankfully) and it should be no different in sport. I think particularly in Solene’s case, as the assault took place after a competition, by another skater, her coaches absolutely should be supporting her in any action she takes.
I think change will come with the likes of Scott Moir, Charlie White and with skaters like Gabby and Solene speaking out and saying they expected more. But that will take time and it’s such a shame that this sport (and sport in general) is likely to leave even more casualties behind in the meantime
Sorry that was long! I’m just a very disappointed figure skating fan today too.
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Let's just be hopeful that these cases will bring a better awareness everywhere, not just in sport. Coaches are probably not well equipped to offer support in such cases. I have no idea what I would do if one of my kids came up to me with and confided they had been abused. I am not a psychologist, I am not the police, I am not their parent, I am not even their friend, I see them a few hours a week and I care for them immensely, but I don't feel I'd have the right words, the right tools to give support. Perhaps that is also why skaters do not bring it up to coaches or why coaches don't seem to be doing more ???
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