Attorney calls for suspension of Olympic skater Sørensen
The attorney for the alleged sexual assault victim of Canadian Olympic figure skater Nikolaj Sørensen is calling on Skate Canada to suspend him from this week’s Canadian national championships, where he and his ice dancing partner are the defending champions.
“As the survivor’s lawyer, now that these violent and traumatic events have been published in USA TODAY, I’m calling on
Skate Canada to suspend Nikolaj Sørensen prior to next week’s Canadian national figure skating championships,” Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead, a well-known Title IX attorney, told USA TODAY Sports on Friday.
“If he competes, Skate Canada is sending a demoralizing message for survivors of sexual assault. For sport to effectively address athlete abuse, enforcement cannot wait.”
Skate Canada spokeswoman Karine Bedard did not reply to an email seeking comment Friday afternoon.
The Canadian national championships are being held in Calgary. The ice dancing competition begins Friday.
Sørensen, one of the world’s topranked figure skating ice dancers, is being investigated by Canada’s Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner for the alleged sexual assault of an American figure skating coach and former skater on April 21, 2012, according to documents and emails obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
The documents said the woman, then 22, said Sørensen, then 23, held her down against her will on a bed after a party at a condominium near Hartford, Connecticut.
The woman isn’t being identified because USA TODAY Sports doesn’t publish the names of victims of alleged sexual abuse.