Olympians Sue USA Taekwondo, U.S. Olympic Committee For Sex Trafficking

 

More women Olympians are accusing coaches of sex abuse, and suing the U.S. Olympic Committee for not protecting them.

Four former Team USA Taekwondo athletes filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Taekwondo. The lawsuit accuses the organizations of subjecting them to sex trafficking by allowing Jean and Steven Lopez to remain in the organization, despite an alleged history of sexually abusing women.

The women in the lawsuit say decorated coach Jean Lopez and his brother, athlete Steven Lopez, raped them. The lawsuit also says one woman reported abuse in 2006, but Olympic officials ignored her claims. A second woman reported in 2015 that Jean drugged and assaulted her in 2003.

The Olympic committee began in investigation but paused it during the 2016 Summer Games. Though the brothers have denied accusations, Jean was ultimately banned from participating in the Olympics forever after an investigation by U.S. Center of SafeSport found him guilty of sexual misconduct. Steven was also suspended for misconduct allegations.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has been under fire after dozens of former and current athletes say there were abused while on Team USA. The org said they’re working to improve reporting and prevention of sexual abuse.

More Videos