Former Olympic diver Jan Hempel has accused the German Swimming Federation of failing to address his complaints of alleged years of sexual abuse by former coach Werner Langer.
Hempel, who represented Germany in four Olympic Games, said that Schlager repeatedly abused him for 14 years starting in 1982 - when he was just 11 years old. Of course I was at a level where I had goals in mind. And I wanted to reach them," the jumper told the DPA news agency on Friday.
BREAKING: Former #Olympic diver Jan Hempel claims that the German Swimming Federation disregarded his accusations that former coach Werner Langer had sexually abused him for years.
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— BNN Germany (@BNNGermany) August 20, 2022
Hempel first made his allegations against Langer in a documentary titled "Abuse - Sexual Abuse in German Swimming" broadcast by public broadcaster ARD on Thursday.
This film also documented other swimmers' accusations of abuse by unnamed coaches.
Hempel said that Langer abused him in a public toilet before she competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
Another athlete, who asked to remain anonymous, told the documentary that Nagar approached him sexually while he was sleeping before a competition.
The DSV later responded, saying it was "deeply alarmed by the description of the horrific experiences of victims of sexual violence" in the ARD report. It apologized to "the victims for having to endure such traumatic experiences".
Langer was suspended, not for the abuse.
The coach later worked for the Austrian Swimming Federation, and died by suicide in 2001.
The DSV announced that they were suspending national diving coach Lutz Bushkov, who Hempel said was aware of Langer's abuse.
Bushkov worked with the German team at the European Championships this month in Rome.
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