2023-04-26 20:20:18
The case of former water jumper Jan Hempel has brought the issue of sexual abuse in sport to the public. But he is by no means an isolated case, as a conference in Schwerin shows.
Former Federal Minister for Family Affairs Christine Bergmann has called for a consistent confrontation with sexual abuse in GDR competitive sport.
The SPD politician is a member of the Independent Commission for the Study of Child Sexual Abuse. “It’s difficult and it really hurts. But it has to be. We need knowledge about structures that encourage abuse, about misconduct and gaps in the protection system,” said Bergmann at a specialist conference in Schwerin. Although the GDR is long history, many former athletes still suffer from the injustice and pain they experienced.
In front of the approximately 70 participants, the Cologne sports scientist Bettina Rulofs referred to a study from 2019 that revealed the mechanisms of the GDR sports system. “Children in GDR competitive sport were exposed to a system that exploited them,” said Rulofs. Constant pressure and the power of the coaches would have encouraged violence and abuse.
Those affected reported
In the discussion, those affected reported on the agony they had suffered, but at the same time complained about the lack of willingness on the part of today’s leading sports officials to face the issue. They also criticized the excessive bureaucracy in applications for compensation.
The debate about sexual abuse in sport was fueled after former world-class water diver Jan Hempel made his ordeal public. In a documentary by ARD last year, Hempel first made public the allegations of sexual abuse against his longtime coach Werner Langer, who died in 2001. Accordingly, Langer had passed from 1982 to 1996 at the Olympic silver medalist in Atlanta in 1996.
Hempel: “Have to accept everything” for success
Hempel made the strict hierarchies in GDR competitive sport partly responsible for the momentous attacks. There was no say for athletes and no contact points to get help there. “We had to accept everything to be successful,” said Hempel. He is still waiting for an apology for the suffering he suffered. “There were more punitive words and allegations as to how I could go public with it,” said Hempel.
He spoke out in favor of extending the statute of limitations for abuse, since victims often only found the strength to reveal themselves after a long period of time. As Maximilian Klein from the Athletes Germany Association announced, an independent contact point for top athletes has now been created.
The forum in Schwerin was jointly organized by the state commissioner in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for dealing with the SED dictatorship and the independent commission for dealing with child sexual abuse. In the past, the Schwerin authority has also dealt intensively with doping in GDR sports and the long-term consequences for affected athletes. (dpa)
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