Sailing coach accused of sexually abusing 11-year-old athlete appears before prosecutor

A Greek sailing coach accused of sexually abusing an 11-year-old athlete appeared before a prosecutor in Athens on Monday.

The 38-year-old was arrested on Sunday on the eastern Aegean island of Samos. He faces charges of aggravated rape, repeated seduction and misconduct.

In a television interview on Friday, he admitted that he had an “affair” with the athlete, now 20, nine years ago. He claimed it was a “consensual relationship” and that he had wanted to marry the girl.

The probe was launched after veteran Olympic champion Sofia Bekatorou gave evidence on the case during her testimony following revelations that she had been sexually assaulted by a senior official of the Greek sailing federation in 1998.

Bekatorou’s allegations have ignited a nationwide debate on misconduct and encouraged multiple victims to make their claims public.