美国国家公共电台 NPR Former USA Taekwondo Coach Banned From The Sport For Sexual Misconduct

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AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Today, the U.S. Center for SafeSport banned a former Olympic taekwondo coach from the sport. The organization found Jean Lopez guilty of sexual misconduct against athletes. In some cases, those athletes were minors¹. Reporter Alexandra Starr spoke² with one of his accusers. A warning - this story contains a description of events that may be too graphic³ for some listeners.

ALEXANDRA STARR, BYLINE⁴: Fifteen years ago, Heidi Gilbert was considered one of the best taekwondo fighters in the world. Today, in her mid-30s, she runs a taekwondo school with her husband in Southern California. Gilbert doesn't compete herself anymore, but she can still unleash⁵ impressive kicks.

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HEIDI GILBERT: Going to the Olympics was always my dream.

STARR: She made a lot of sacrifices to become a top taekwondo fighter.

GILBERT: My mom ended up having to homeschool me, and I actually fought juniors, and I broke my nose.

STARR: Around that time, the Lopezes - sometimes called the first family of taekwondo - were emerging as the sports stars. The oldest, Jean Lopez, became the U.S. national coach. His brother, Steven, became the most decorated taekwondo fighter in the world.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Lopez claims the gold.

STARR: In 2000, Steven Lopez won his first Olympic gold. Jean Lopez coached him to a second gold medal four years later. That impressed Heidi Gilbert.

GILBERT: You're just kind of, you know, in awe⁶.

STARR: She started training under Jean Lopez in 2002 when she was 19 years old. It paid off. In the Pan American Games in Ecuador that year, she won a gold medal in her weight class. Diana Lopez, the only sister in the Lopez family, was also there. Gilbert says that after the competition, they went back to Jean Lopez's hotel room to celebrate. The women literally⁷ flexed⁸ their muscles.

GILBERT: We're like, hey, look at my traps. Look at my six pack. Oh, yeah. Check this out. Jean's like, you girls are so awesome⁹. You're so strong. You guys are going to go to the Olympics.

STARR: Diana left the room, and Gilbert was totally unprepared for what happened next. A warning to listeners - her description is graphic.

GILBERT: So he throws me on the bed. And I thought we were wrestling, to, you know, be quite honest. And he puts me in fetal position and starts dry-humping me and, within 10 seconds, ejaculates in his pants.

STARR: Gilbert was shocked. She blamed herself.

GILBERT: I was like, oh, my gosh. This was my fault. Like, I was flexing¹⁰ in front of his mirror. You know, I'm an idiot.

STARR: Gilbert didn't talk to Jean Lopez for the rest of the trip, but she did return to training with him in Texas.

GILBERT: He reassured¹¹ me. He said, hey, you know what? Once you move out here, everything's business. You're my athlete. I'm going to take care of you like my athlete.

STARR: Gilbert wanted to believe that what had happened was an aberration¹². She had dreams and training with the Lopezes seemed like the way to realize them.

GILBERT: You don't want to believe that you're in a bad situation - right? - because the training is so good. Your Olympic dreams are so high that you are honestly willing to sacrifice everything to achieve that.

STARR: For the next year, she says things were fine, but in 2003, she traveled with Jean Lopez to compete in the world championships in Germany. And she says that at an after-party, he offered her a drink.

GILBERT: I really just could not function. I was totally like a dead person.

STARR: So you feel that he drugged your drink.

GILBERT: I - there's a part of me that would love to think that he didn't, you know, but, yeah, I mean, there's no reason why I was that intoxicated¹³.

STARR: She was conscious, but her body went limp. She says Jean Lopez sexually assaulted her in the hotel where they were staying. Jean Lopez did not return emails and phone calls seeking comment. In the past, he has denied any of this happened. Gilbert left the Lopez training facility. She considered going to the police but figured they wouldn't be able to do much since the alleged¹⁵ assaults had happened abroad. She also decided¹⁶ against filing a report with USA Taekwondo. Jon Little is an attorney who has sued multiple Olympic sports organizations for how they have handled sexual assault. He says USA Taekwondo had one of the worst records among the sports' governing bodies.

JON LITTLE: Gymnastics and swimming, when confronted with criminal indictments¹⁷, generally would take action. But taekwondo has really done nothing until very recently.

STARR: Heidi Gilbert is not the only female athlete to allege¹⁴ Jean Lopez engaged in inappropriate conduct. Two other women have formally lodged¹⁸ complaints against him with SafeSport. And at least two former athletes have said they were raped¹⁹ by Jean's brother, Steven Lopez. Steven also did not return phone calls seeking comment. Neither Jean nor Steven has been charged with a crime.

STEVE MCNALLY: 2006 - there were complaints brought to USA Taekwondo about a high-profile athlete and coach.

STARR: That's Steve McNally, the executive director of USA Taekwondo. He's held the position for six months. He says he hopes to rebuild trust in the organization. Olympic sports governing bodies do not investigate sexual assault anymore. Now those cases are referred to U.S. SafeSport. That's a new independent organization charged with handling cases of sexual assault across Olympic sports.

MCNALLY: I think the SafeSport Center is going to be a great step forward in this area for everybody.

STARR: Heidi Gilbert spoke with U.S. SafeSport last May. Her allegations are cited in the organization's findings against Jean Lopez. The ban against Jean Lopez for sexual misconduct came after NPR and other news outlets²⁰ asked about the investigation²¹ last week. The organization declined to comment on the Steven Lopez case. That is their policy on all active investigations²². For NPR News, I'm Alexandra Starr.