Father of Paris Olympics gold medallist arrested over alleged sexual assault of Games volunteer
THE FATHER of an Olympic gold medallist has been arrested over the alleged sexual assault of a volunteer at the Games.
Barbara Matic won gold for Croatia in the women’s 70kg judo category on Wednesday, July 31.
But just a day later her dad is suspected of sexually assaulting a volunteer in charge of seating spectators.
The volunteer filed a complaint and Matic’s dad was taken into custody, according to French news station BFM TV.
He is being questioned following a complaint filed on Wednesday, July 31, by a young volunteer employed at the Arena Champs-de-Mars site.
The alleged victim claimed she had been forcibly kissed by Matic’s father after the judo star won her fight quarter-final bout.
Reports say the complainant “indicates that the father of a champion forced a kiss on her mouth after an Olympic event.”
On the afternoon of Thursday, August 1, the police investigation was still ongoing.
Matic – a two-time world judo champ – is yet to comment on the alleged incident.
She made history by clinching Croatia’s first-ever Olympic judo medal.
Matic missed out on a medal in Rio in 2016 and Tokyo three years later.
But she defeated opponents from Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Germany to clinch the historic gold.