Lawsuit accuses Taekwondo Olympian and his coach, who are brothers, of sexual abuse
Two brothers who were towering figures in the world of taekwondo — one an Olympian gold medalist, the other his longtime coach — were accused of sexually assaulting female athletes, including minors, for years in a lawsuit filed in federal court Friday.
The lawsuit also accused the U.S. Olympic Committee and the national sports organization USA Taekwondo of turning a blind eye to the abuse and allowing coaches and athletes who had shown a pattern of predatory behavior to take international trips with young women and girls.
The accusations are the latest in a series of charges — similar to ones that have upended USA Swimming and USA Gymnastics — alleging that officials at sports organizations affiliated with the Olympics ignored reports of abuse and sexual misconduct.
The lawsuit, which names five John Does among the defendants, said the allegations took place over two decades and included “sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking” of Olympic athletes by the “officials, coaches, and mentors who were entrusted to protect them.”
The suit was intended to bring institutional change so that athletes’ safety takes precedence over “medals and money,” said Jonathan Little, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs.
“We have got to stop thinking of the USOC as a bystander. They were active participants,” he said.
The suit also named Steven Lopez, 39, a decorated athlete and Olympic gold medalist, and his brother, Jean Lopez, 44, a prominent coach, as defendants and laid out the sexual abuse and misconduct claims against them in detail.
USA Taekwondo launched an investigation into the claims in 2015, and the brothers last year denied allegations of sexual abuse. Little said he was not aware of the brothers having been charged with any crimes. On Sunday, their lawyer declined to comment on the suit.
Steven Lopez is a five-time Olympian and three-time medalist. His siblings, Mark and Diana, are also Olympians, and Jean Lopez has coached all three of them.
USA Taekwondo said in a statement Sunday that it was reviewing the lawsuit. “As this is an in-process legal matter it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time,” it said.
