MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – A Ukraine team official was stripped of his accreditation Tuesday and is being questioned by police after a television network aired footage of the man assaulting a female swimmer at the world championships.
The 38-year-old man was the woman’s father and also her coach, said Victoria Police inspector Rick Nugent, who declined to name the pair.
The footage, captured by host broadcaster the Nine Network, clearly showed a physical altercation between the two in the marshaling room at the Rod Laver Arena swimming venue.
The man was seen swinging and trying to aggressively grab his daughter against her will, and the footage concluded with the father attempting to comfort the swimmer by embracing her on the floor. The altercation ended when Nine Network staff alerted police.
“What occurred was unacceptable, it’s a very serious matter,” said Michael Scott, chief executive of meet organizers the Melbourne 2007 World Swimming Championship Corporation. “FINA have advised us that they have withdrawn the accreditation of the (father) immediately.
“FINA will be conducting their own investigation into the matter and will announce the outcome as soon as possible,” Scott said.
It is yet to be determined if the woman, who did not require any medical treatment as a result of the assault, will press charges against her father, Nugent said.
“(The swimmer) is now with Victoria Police. She’s well and she’s being interviewed by our police members,” said Nugent, who added that the woman’s father is also being interviewed in relation to the incident.
“At the end of those interviews, and after all the evidence has been examined, we’ll make the appropriate decision as to where to go from there,” he said.
