Sexual abuse scandals in Slovenia's judo

A free psychosocial support service has been introduced in Slovenia to help athletes who have been victims of different types of violence.

This comes after sexual abuse scandals in judo, which have prompted the conversation of violence in sports in the country, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

Athletes' Rights Ombudsman Rožle Prezelj has recently launched the free service in cooperation with sports psychologists at the Association of Slovenian Psychologists.

Prezelj told the press that he gave the initiative for this step "in light of recent high-profile cases and with the aim of ensuring a safe sports environment", knowing the impact traumatic experiences can have on individuals.

"Athletes should first turn directly to me to get the support we provide. In my capacity as ombudsman I make sure the process is confidential," he told the Slovenian Press Agency. Once he receives the green light from athletes, he arranges sessions with psychologists.

The service prioritises the needs of the victim and protects their privacy, he pointed out, noting the victim's preference may be that the psychologist to whom they are referred is someone else than the one whom they know from their national team or club.

Sexual abuse scandals in judo

In recent months, the public was shocked to learn about two scandals in judo. In the summer, it emerged that several former female judokas reported Marjan Fabjan, one of the nation's most celebrated coaches and the architect behind multiple Olympic medals, to the police, accusing him of physical, psychological and sexual abuse.

The investigation is ongoing, and Fabjan has since been banned from the national team. The police have filed a criminal complaint against him based on the allegations.

Meanwhile, another judo coach Vito Dragič was found guilty of crimes against sexual integrity and abuse of position. The member of the national judo team received a suspended one-year prison sentence with a two-year probation period in May 2024.

He was stripped of his coaching licence after he continued to coach children and youths despite the conviction, but his life-long ban from coaching was later cut to five years.

The athletes' rights ombudsman has pointed out that there are many more cases of violence and abuse in Slovenian sport. The most obvious likely involve verbal violence, but there are also cases of sexual and physical abuse. He has been calling for a systemic strategy to tackle these issues and sensitivity training for coaches.

This is Prezelj's second term as ombudsman after he was first appointed to the position in 2018, when the Athletes' Rights Ombudsman Office was established in Slovenia.

Alarming results of study on abuse in sport

A legal expert, coach and a former high jumper, Prezelj recently also pointed to the alarming results of the first extensive study about abuse in Slovenian sport.

The study shows that more than half of Slovenian young athletes have experienced some form of abuse in a sports environment by the age of 18. The most common forms are emotional and physical abuse, and neglect. Nearly one in five reported experiencing sexual abuse.

As reported by CE Report, the Slovenian president has set a general election.

Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA