(Reuters) – USA Water Polo could face a congressional investigation and possible decertification as an Olympic governing body for failing to protect 12 female water polo players from sexual abuse by their coach, the victims’ lawyer said on Monday.
The athletes, who alleged they had been abused by coach Bahram Hojreh, announced on Monday they had reached a $13.85 million settlement with USA Water Polo and the International Water Polo Club (IWPC).
“The size of this watershed settlement reflects the severe harm done to our clients by former coach Bahram Hojreh and the extreme measures taken by USA Water Polo to evade responsibility for his reprehensible conduct,” the victims’ attorney Morgan Stewart said in a statement.
“Children who compete under the auspices of USA Water Polo are not safe from the threat of sexual abuse and will not be until the Board and leadership of USA Water Polo are held accountable.
“My clients and I will call for a congressional investigation and enforcement of appropriate sanctions under the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020 which could include decertifying USA Water Polo.”
The Empowering Olympic, Paralympic and Amateur Athletes Act, signed into law by then President Donald Trump last October, was developed to provide athletes greater protection, giving Congress oversight and the power to decertify national governing bodies.
USA Water Polo said in a statement that it was not made aware of Hojreh’s alleged abuses, which occurred between 2012 and 2017, until January 2018 when it was alerted by the U.S. Center for SafeSport and immediately suspended the coach.
Hojreh, who is not part of the settlement, is currently awaiting trial on 34 counts of sexual abuse involving 10 victims, nine of whom were children at the time of the acts.
Hojreh’s lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.
“We have heard the plaintiffs’ testimony, and their allegations are heartbreaking,” Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo, said in a statement.
“As an organization that prides itself on member safety policies that aim to prevent abuse, their allegations underscore — alongside our partnership with the U.S. Center for SafeSport — that there is always more work to be done.”
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto, Additional reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, Editing by Ed Osmond)
