#bekatorou

[rapeculturerealities]

Greece #Metoo: Women ending silence of sport abuse shake Greece

The decision by ex-champion Sofia Bekatorou to describe how she was assaulted leads to a #Metoo moment.

When former Olympic champion Sofia Bekatorou revealed she had been sexually assaulted by an unnamed Hellenic Sailing Federation (HSF) executive, few realised her powerful testimony would prompt a #Metoo movement in Greek sport.

She was addressing a little-advertised online conference after all.

But when the sailing federation hit back at her allegations the following day, the whole story exploded. It said it had never received any complaint from Bekatorou and essentially asked her to name the man, since she had "taken the initiative to speak about this unpleasant incident after so many years".

Inspired by Sofia Bekatorou's courage and angered by the federation's cynicism, more athletes began going public with experiences of sexual harassment and abuse using the hashtag #metisofia (on Sofia's side). Now the Greek president has praised the former champion for ending a "conspiracy of silence" and the government says her story has shaken not just sport but society as a whole.

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[elladastinkardiamou]

Sofia Bekatorou, the #MeToo movement in Greece, and the political ramifications

Earlier this year Greek Olympic gold medalist Sofia Bekatorou came forward and testified that she was sexually assaulted as a 21-year-old in 1998 by a sports official. Since then, a wave of #MeToo allegations have swept through Greece.

John Psaropoulos, an independent journalist and Al Jazeera’s southeast Europe correspondent, joins us from Athens to talk about his interview with Sofia Bekatorou, the #MeToo movement in Greece, and how it’s impacting the country’s politics.

[elladastinkardiamou]

Sophia Bekatorou Is A Whistleblower, Too

Why indivisibles such as Olympic Sailor Mrs. Bekatorou should be considered whistleblowers. Article by Aris Danikas in AthensLive

Earlier this year, Greece joined the latest “MeToo” outcry over sexual abuse in sports and the theater industry following the reports of sexual harassment in the country. Olympics sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou has spoken about having been sexually abused at a young age by a senior official of the Hellenic Sailing Federation. Bekatorou, a Gold medalist, now 43, broke her silence after 20 years and sparked an investigation. Meanwhile, as the perpetrator named in reports was a member of the party, New Democracy suspended his membership, while the Hellenic Sailing Federation has reportedly requested and received the man’s resignation. Deputy Minister of Sports Lefteris Avgenakis announced that he suspends all funding to the Greek Sailing Federation and ordered an audit of its board members’ assets, as part of an investigation into allegations of sexual assault, mismanagement, and corruption by senior officials. Bekatorou’s confession unleashed a tsunami of sexual abuse and harassment revelations by other women in Greece. From Bekatorou’s revelations, The MeToo movement in Greece has moved from the world of Sports to the world of Arts and Entertainment with female and male actors denouncing sexual harassment and abuse but also bullying by directors in theater and the film industry. As Despina Papageorgiou, the AthensLive Weekly Digest Newsletter put it a few weeks ago: “Becatorou will be remembered for opening up such an important issue in Greece. And this is a contribution in the country’s culture greater than her gold medal.” Or keeptalkinggreece: “Fact is that Bekatorou opened the bag from Aeolus and finally let the wind out for despicable circumstances and conditions in the Greek sports world that were hidden under the carpet for years: abuse of power by those who decided on the fate of an athlete, sexual harassment and abuse, the fear of victims to be targeted, not find support or even being expelled from the sports they loved and felt dedicated to.”

[elladastinkardiamou]

This week’s newsletter from AthensLive is out.

At the headlines this weekend are an overview of the newest attacks on the Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Assembly by the Nea Demokratia government. Also a tribute to the Olympics sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou and her courageous opening of the Pandoras Box of MeToo in Greece. And finally a look into the situation in the hospitals during the Corona pandemic. 

Add to this a handful of links to further reading and to more knowledge about Greece today.

By reading the newsletter - and even better by subscribing or becoming a supporting member - you will also find a lot of links to other sources and to events and developments that you will not otherwise come across. And even if some of them are in Greek only, by using a Translator in your browser, it will be easy to read no matter how familiar you are with the Greek language.

It cannot be recommended strongly enough to read and share this week’s updates on the events and developments in Greece here:

https://us13.campaign-archive.com/…

For anyone with a wish or need to follow and to gain an insight into recent events in Greece and to read and support independent and investigative journalism in English, the weekly newsletter from AthensLive should be a core element in the reading flow.

If you want the best overview of the events and developments in Greece right now, this is the place to go. Not the mainstream Greek news, but independent journalism with sharp analysis and links to interesting and important topics from a variety of sources.

Become a member and get the newsletter in your inbox every week here:

http://bit.ly/2GkVuYt

[elladastinkardiamou]

Rape trial of Greek sailing coach begins as #MeToo gains ground

The landmark trial of a Greek sailing coach accused of raping a child has opened in Athens, a year after an Olympic champion effectively launched the #MeToo movement in the country by speaking out about her experiences.

The case is one of many that came to light after Sofia Bekatorou, a former Olympic sailing gold medal winner, broke the taboo on speaking out on such matters in December 2020.

Bekatorou, who is a witness at the trial, did not speak to reporters as she arrived at the courthouse on Wednesday.

Triantafyllos Apostolou, 38, who outed himself in a newspaper interview last year, allegedly raped an 11-year-old athlete in 2010.

Bekatorou has said that she herself was subjected to “sexual harassment and abuse” by a senior federation member after trials for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was 21 at the time.

Her revelations prompted other women to speak out about being assaulted, and more than three years after it started in the US, the #MeToo movement was born in Greece.

Over the past year, allegations of sexual assaults suffered by female athletes, students, journalists and actors have surfaced. Some of those speaking out say they were still minors when the assaults took place.

Bekatorou brought the alleged victim in the current trial, with her consent, to the attention of prosecutors in January 2021.

[elladastinkardiamou]

Hail, O Hail Humanity! - Greece Is

Champion sailor, Sofia Bekatorou, reflects on the virtues of the Revolution of 1821 and how it resonates with the Greek #ΜeΤoo movement.

The struggle at sea has always been tough and relentless. During the 35 years I’ve been struggling, there were many times I’ve been told that I’m not going to make it. I’ve heard the word “no” countless times. Stubbornness has always been a key feature of mine and my deep belief that I’m going to make it despite adverse circumstances ultimately helped me complete my endeavors.

Every race goes through a lot of phases. You never know exactly what’s going to happen: sometimes you have to improvise, sometimes you have to wait, and sometimes you have to step forward, and fight as if the next day didn’t exist, as our ancestors did, who fought against the odds for our freedom.