Olympian sparks Greek Metoo movement

A GREEK Olympic sailing champion yesterday testified in court that she was sexually abused by an official when she was 21.

Sofia Bekatorou, now 43, revealed her claims for the first time last week, sparking a belated Metoo movement in Greece.

She has been praised for unleashing a long-suppressed debate in the largely conservative country.

Although the incident occurred too long ago for prosecution, her testimony may help more recent cases come to light as prosecutors investigate.

Ms Bekatorou, a mother of two, said her abuse came from a senior official of the Hellenic Sailing Federation during trials for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

She said the official performed a “lewd act” after inviting her to his hotel room in 1998.

She said: “I hope other people who have experienced sex abuse will come forward, so that our society will be healthier, and we’ll no longer be afraid.”

She did not name the official who allegedly abused her, but soon after she made the claims, Aristeidis Adamopoulos, the vice-president of the Hellenic Sailing Federation, stepped down.

He denied any wrongdoing and said he had resigned so the federation could be spared “negative publicity”.

Since Ms Bekatorou spoke out, a number of other Greek sportswomen have said they were also abused.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, praised her, saying: “Sofia bravely broke the chain of fear and silence, showing the way for the stigma of guilt to pass from the victim to the perpetrator.”