USA Today has reported that Canadian ice dancing champion Nikolaj Sorensen is being investigated by Canada’s Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner over an alleged sexual assault in 2012.
Sorensen, who competed for his native Denmark until moving to Canada in 2018, is scheduled to compete in the Canadian Championships from Jan. 8-14 in Calgary.
Sorensen and Laurence Fournier Beaudry of Montreal are the reigning national ice dancing champions and placed ninth at the 2022 Olympics.
Citing a received report addressed to both OSIC and the US Center for SafeSport, USA Today said an American figure skating coach and former figure skater filed the complaint about the alleged assault in Hartford, Connecticut.
The allegation was not examined in court.
“We are aware of the USA Today article that just came out, but since it is an active case within the OSIC, we cannot comment and our athletes will not comment either,” Skate Canada communications director Karine Bedard said. on Thursday.
Skate Canada later said in a statement that all misconduct complaints go through OSIC “to ensure an independent review, investigation and adjudication.”
“As a signatory to the program, Skate Canada complies with all policies of Abuse-Free Sport and its representatives, including the Director of Sanctions and Results.”
The Canadian Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner was established in June 2022 as an independent body to handle complaints and reports of abuse and mistreatment in sport.
All state-funded sports associations had to become signatories.
“To protect the integrity of the investigative process and its outcome, the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner operates under confidentiality criteria and does not comment on ongoing matters,” a spokesperson for the Sport Dispute Resolution Center of Canada said in a statement.
“While individuals involved in these matters are also required to comply with Abuse-Free Sport’s confidentiality policy, its application is limited to information received, collected or generated as part of Abuse-Free Sport’s complaint management process.”
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