The Belgian athlete Hanne Maudens has accused her former coach, described as a prominent figure in Belgian athletics, of years of abuse, including verbal violence, humiliation, and sexually inappropriate behaviour during massage sessions.
In a testimony published on Tuesday in the magazine Dag Allemaal, Maudens alleged that the Belgian Athletics Federation was aware of the misconduct but "covered up the matter." The coach is described as a prominent figure in Belgian athletics.
In 2021, Maudens withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics heptathlon to focus solely on the 400 metres, citing stress, an injury, and burnout at the time.
She now presents a different account. "I was the victim of sexually inappropriate behaviour by my former coach," she stated. "The athletics federation knew about it but has decided to remain silent."
Maudens claims her complaints were dismissed. "The federation is not affiliated with the sports tribunal, a central institution handling complaints related to doping, gender, and misconduct. This means they do not have to be held accountable, and they chose to silence my testimony."
Gery Follens, president of the Flemish Athletics League, confirmed to the news agency Belga that the organisation received a complaint from the athlete.
However, he explained that the case was reviewed by the League’s independent prosecutor and dismissed due to insufficient evidence to proceed further. He denied any cover-up and insisted the federation shared all relevant information with the police.
The controversy has already reached the political stage. The Flemish greens Groen have called for an independent investigation.
Flemish MP Bogdan Vanden Berghe has urged the Flemish Sports Minister, Annick De Ridder (N-VA), to launch an inquiry into the operations of Belgian Athletics.
