Canadian skater Nikolaj Soerensen has been banned for six years for “sexual abuse” following a months-long investigation by the Office of the Sports Integrity Commissioner of Canada (OSIC). Soerensen was accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a figure skating coach and former American figure skater on April 21, 2012, as revealed in January by USA TODAY, which had access to several documents and emails.
Soerensen, who has always denied the facts, has yet to be tried in court, but the country’s figure skating governing body, Skate Canada, will implement its six-year sanction, which was listed on the bureau’s Abuse-Free Sport registry and is subject to challenge or appeal.
After the accusations, Soerensen and her skating partner, Laurence Fournier Beaudry, withdrew from the national championships, claiming that his presence would be too much of a distraction. But they have since competed again, for example at the Shanghai 2024 Four Continents Championships, where they won a silver.
Sanction
According to the report to which USA TODAY had access, The victim explained that she remained silent for years and that she never went to the police or sports officials because she feared they would blame her. and that no one believed her. “I felt like I was going to suffocate under the pressure of his arm on my collarbone and chest. I pushed my arms against his hips to try to get his penis out of me and I had a hard time breathing. At that moment, I feared for my life and let my weakened while I was lying down and he raped me,” the woman denounced.
