MILAN ― What an awful message the sport of figure skating just sent to sexual abuse survivors and victims, and parents who want their children to participate in a safe sport.
Figure skating just put Olympic gold medals around the necks of a French ice dance team that exists only because of the investigation and subsequent suspension of an alleged sexual abuser, Nikolaj Sorensen, who has been consistently and publicly supported by that team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.
Fournier Beaudry, 33, who is Sorensen’s girlfriend, joined forces with Cizeron a year ago after Sorensen was banned for a minimum of six years for allegedly sexually assaulting a U.S. skater in 2012. His suspension was overturned last year but is being reviewed, meaning the ban could be put back into place. He was in the Olympic arena Wednesday night, and when the French team spotted him in the crowd, they joyously waved from the podium, and he whistled back.
More: An abuse investigation. A new French ice dance team. And a gold medal up for grabs
Figure skating also just gave a second consecutive Olympic gold medal to Cizeron, 31, who was described by his former ice dance partner, 2022 Olympic gold medalist Gabriella Papadakis, as "often controlling, demanding and critical.” She said she would not skate with him unless a coach was present at practices.
