Olympic taekwondo coach Jean Lopez banned for sexual misconduct with a minor

Jean Lopez, the mature sibling and long time trainer of two-time Olympic taekwondo champ Steven Lopez, has been announced completely ineligible after the U.S. Middle for SafeSport discovered him responsible for sex-related wrong doings and sex-related wrong doings such as any small.

The choice achieved Wednesday delivers quality to an research that started with USA Taekwondo three years back and was surrended to SafeSport when it started out in Goal 2017. Three ladies who verbal with USA TODAY Activities have described sex-related wrong doings by Jean Lopez way back to 1997, and one of those females registered a issue with USA Taekwondo in 2006.

“Given the number of occurrences revealed over a period of several many by several confirming events, most of whom have no affordable purpose to make an accusations – much less several, unique occurrences – of wrong doings, the totality of conditions reveals a repeated design of actions on the part of Jean,” SafeSport said in its choice acquired by US Condition TODAY Activities.

“Both independently and taken in their totality, the revealed occurrences either represent non-consensual sex-related wrong doings and/or are opposite to long-standing group requirements regarding appropriate communications between associates.”


SafeSport released Lopez’s name in its data source Wed morning hours, observing your choice is topic to attraction and not yet last.

Jean Lopez could not be instantly achieved for opinion Wed.

USA TODAY Activities revealed the accusations against Jean Lopez in July, as well individual accusations of sex-related wrong doings against Steven Lopez. In an meeting with US Condition TODAY  Activities last springtime, Steven Lopez declined the accusations.

Steven Lopez is taekwondo’s greatest celebrity and the most designed sportsman in that game. He is a five-time Olympian with silver awards in 2000 and 2004 and a brown in 2008, as well as five globe headings.

USA Taekwondo surrended its research of Steven Lopez to SafeSport last season, and the position of his case is uncertain. Mandy Meloon, who billed the two-time Olympic champ of sexual attack and actual misuse, said SafeSport detective Kathleen Cruz informed her last 30 days that SafeSport was still trying to set up an meeting with him. Lopez, 39, certified for his Twenty fourth nationwide group in Feb, and he informed the Austin Explain that he plans to keep competitive through the Tokyo, japan Olympic games in 2020.

Steven Lopez has been trained throughout his profession by Jean, who also trained friends Indicate and Diana Lopez to awards in China in 2008. Jean Lopez, 44, trained the U.S. group in four Olympic games.

USA TODAY Activities revealed in July that Jean and Steven Lopez were able to join in the 2016 Rio Olympic games even though both had been arrested for sex-related attack and USA Taekwondo had been analyzing them for more than a season. USA Taekwondo never organised procedures that would have introduced a solution to the instances, but the lawyer who performed your research was involved enough that he notified the FBI.

“I am treated and thrilled that he will no longer be able to trainer young sportsmen or operate ladies in these types of configurations,” said Heidi Gilbert, who billed Jean Lopez of intimately fighting her in 2003 while they were at a competition in Malaysia. “I am extremely frustrated in the process. It seems like they managed the scenario different for the Lopezes vs. other trainers.

“It just took way an extended time,” she included. “But I am treated. And very thrilled that no lady is ever going to experience him again.”

USA Taekwondo had no immediate reaction, stating its plan of not leaving comments on effective situations. Jean Lopez has until Wednesday to competition your choice through an arbitrator. He has declined all of the accusations, both in discussions with SafeSport and last springtime with USA TODAY Activities.

“I’ve never been unsuitable with anyone,” Jean Lopez informed USA TODAY Activities.

The choice makes Lopez completely ineligible for account to USA Taekwondo, which would prevent Jean Lopez from training Steven or any other sportsman on the U.S. group.

Last 30 days, USA Taekwondo announced a cooperation to discuss details about wrong doings problems such as associates with Beginner Fitness Partnership.

Lopez has verbal at workshops or proved helpful at ideologies in other nations, such as Argentina and Chile. SafeSport’s choice would not bar him from training in other nations. That would need a ban by World Taekwondo, and its guidelines need nationwide federations to review wrong doings problems.

“The achieve of it’s always going to be restricted,” said Jon Little, an lawyer who billed USA Taekwondo on several events and who now symbolizes five ladies who said they were intimately attacked by the Lopez bros.

“He’s always going to be able to go to Argentina or do something. …They can’t completely quit him from training.”

Jean Lopez has been training at a gym in Las Las vegas, which boasts his Olympic qualifications.

On its website, Heritage Taekwondo says it is the “only taekwondo training center in Las Las vegas who can feature teachers that have won and trained Olympic, World and National silver medalist regarding the U. s. Declares of The united states.”

The SafeSport choice comes more than 10 years after Meloon first informed USA Taekwondo in 2006 that Jean Lopez had intimately attacked her at a competition in 1997. She was 16 right at that moment.

While USA Taekwondo ignored her declare right at that moment, SafeSport’s research thought it was to have benefit.

“It’s not only myself individually, everything in good information, the #metoo,” Meloon said. “It wasn’t the perfect time. It was just so approved. It was just the way things were, and now it’s just different.”

SafeSport’s research also discovered Jean Lopez had attacked Gilbert and a third lady.

“This is probably one of the most severe SafeSport situations I’ve ever seen,” Little said.

“Literally it went on for two years. Perhaps if you’re asking me is there a distinction between now and then, the response is hardly. I’m motivated that the USOC took activity against such a popular person. However, look what it took. It took several paper experiences over a very extensive period. It took several procedures at the USOC and in other locations. It took cops reviews to various organizations. It took a lot for an extended here we are at this to end. And essentially that nothing should take this lengthy.”

The Olympic activity is under large critique for its managing of sex-related misuse situations following details that long time USA Gym doctor Lewis Nassar misused thousands of ladies, such as Olympic winners Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglas. USA Taekwondo, USA Diving, US Speedskating and USA Modern martial arts also have been belittled for how they’ve managed high-profile or wide-spread accusations of misuse.

In Jan, the bipartisan House Energy and Business Panel requested the U.S. Olympic Panel, USA Gym, USA Taekwondo, USA Diving and The state of michigan State to carry how they have managed problems. It has since extended its query to add all nationwide regulating systems and is looking forward to reactions.

The USOC has lengthy managed it does not have the power or sources to examine misuse problems. Instead, it designed the U.S. Middle for SafeSport, which is arrested for adjudicating all sex-related misuse problems in the Olympic activity.

When SafeSport started out in Goal 2017, nationwide regulating systems were informed to change over any looking forward to sex-related misuse situations. The problems against Jean Lopez and his sibling were given to the middle instantly.