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A former American figure skater has accused Canadian ice dancer Nikolaj Sorensen of sexually assaulting her in 2012, according to a story from USA Today.
Canada’s Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner is investigating Sorensen.
Documents obtained by USA Today showed that the woman, then 22, said Sorensen, then 23, held her down against her will and sexually assaulted her on a bed after a party at a condominium near Hartford, Connecticut.
The American skater was not named.
The report claims that Sorensen pinned the woman down by forcing his left arm down on her collarbone, making her “gasp for air” before he raped her.
According to the report, the alleged victim remained silent for years and decided against reaching out to the police or sports officials out of fear she wouldn’t be believed.
After seeking psychological treatment, she is said to have considered filing a criminal complaint, only to discover the statute of limitations had expired.
According to the report, in July 2023, she reportedly read an article that included an interview with Sorensen, who commented on the importance of keeping women safe in ice dancing.
‘I couldn’t believe the words coming out of the rapist’s mouth,’ she is quoted as saying. ‘It hit me at that moment that mothers would likely be sending their daughters to train with him (as a coach) at some point after he retired from competitive skating, and I could not live with the guilt of knowing I never told any authority figures.’
Sorensen, 34, finished ninth at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and fifth at last year’s World Championships with his ice-dancing partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry.
Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead, who is an attorney who founded Champion Women, a non-profit legal advocacy organization for girls and women in sports, told USA TODAY Sports that she is representing the victim of the alleged sexual abuse.
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