After in the past judo, handball and surfing brought us romances between a coach and an athlete, it is the turn of Israeli swimming to join the disciplines that provide us with a forbidden romance between an athlete in one of the Israeli national teams and a coach as part of their work.
According to an investigation currently being conducted by the Israeli Olympic Committee, the two had a long affair while working together in the uniform of the Israeli national team.
It should be noted that this is not a novel in a private association, but in the framework of the joint work under the national flag, of two of the most prominent professionals in Israel in the field of swimming.
The swimming association, led by Miki Halika, referred the case to the Israeli Olympic Committee after an initial investigation revealed conflicting evidence: the coach denied any connection to this story and claimed that it was invented by his rivals within the swimming industry, and the club where he works claimed that the swimmer was "lying" and "the things are not have ever occurred."
The swimmer, for her part, chose to leave and train in another country and not take part in the case, thus ending the affair that allegedly lasted for a long time, but her associates decided not to give up and conduct an investigation into the matter.
It should be noted that when the relationship between the two allegedly existed, the swimmer was an adult and the alleged relationship between the two was consensual.
Of course, according to the code of ethics of the Israeli Olympic Committee, which has only been sharpened due to the recent scandals in the various branches, there is an absolute prohibition on having a relationship between a female athlete and a coach or an athlete and a coach.
It should be noted that unlike other novels, such as in judo and surfing, the two did not become spouses, because the coach leads a family life and the age difference between the two is significant.
The Olympic Committee stated: "Without confirming or denying this or that case, we cannot address the merits of any case due to the modesty of the individual.
The Olympic Committee in Israel has a charter for gender equality and regulations for the prevention of sexual harassment and protection in sports, and it acts and guides through the Committee for Gender Equality headed by Lt. Col. Suzi Yogev and through the former athlete Limor Mizrahi, who is in charge of preventing sexual harassment and protection of all Olympic sports organizations in Israel.
We consider the athlete's right to be protected as a basic right, we examine and treat with severity any deviation from the norm, any complaint, report or violation."
The committee's announcement also states: "It is emphasized that the authority to examine complaints and cases in non-Olympic training frameworks rests with the unions and as far as is relevant in the associations. However, in light of the importance of the issue and as much as we are exposed to reports from the field or information, we act impartially to make sure that each case is examined and investigated with tools are professional and all actions are taken, subject to the law, the regulations and the values we adhere to."
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