Polish tennis chief denies abuse allegations by MPs

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The head of the Polish Tennis Association on Wednesday denied allegations by an MP that he sexually assaulted her in the early 1990s when she was a teenager and he was a coach.

I have been the victim of baseless accusations and I intend to prove it in court, Miroslaw Skrzypczynski said of MP Katarzyna Kotula’s allegation, which has caused an uproar in Poland since an online news site published it on Monday.

I have repeatedly stated and still maintain that recent media reports about me are false, Skrzypczynski said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

Kotula said in an interview with news portal Onet published on November 21 that she was sexually abused as a teenager by Skrzypczynski when he was a coach in the early 1990s.

The allegations came after another Onet article in which Skrzypczynski was accused of using physical and psychological violence against his family and the players he coached.

Onet reported that Skrzypczynski threatened to sue the site over its first article, saying the information it contained was not backed up by any reliable source.

The furor prompted world number one tennis player Iga Swiatek to post a message on Twitter on Tuesday urging victims facing any kind of abuse in life to seek help.

What I feel I can do is encourage you to seek help when something bad happens in sports communities and in all situations in life where someone may be suffering from violence. physical or emotional abuse, she said.

Polish tennis star Hubert Hurkacz said on Twitter that he supports all women and all victims of abuse.

The Polish Tennis Association is sponsored by the state oil company PKN Orlen.

In an interview with the wp.pl news site, Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin, head of the State Property Ministry responsible for state-controlled enterprises, said he was shaken by the allegations and did not recommend additional funding from the Polish Tennis Association. .

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