Abuse in the sports club: Over 30 minor victims in Carinthia!

Abuse in the sports club: Over 30 minor victims in Carinthia!

Kärntner Fußballverein WAC, Österreich - Under the title "Topic" on June 2, 2025 at 9.10 p.m. in ORF 2 and on ORF on a frightening report on sexual abuse in the sports club will be presented. More than 30 underage victims are suspected who got into the catch of a perpetrator in a Carinthian football club. The former placekeeper of the WAC is said to not only abuse children and adolescents, but also have spread child pornographic pictures. A mother of one of the victims expresses anonymous that the perpetrator moved the boy into his network with money and gifts. The 22-year-old alleged perpetrator has now been arrested and has been confessed with what makes the scope of the event all the more shocking. This development throws a bright light on dealing with sexual abuse in sport, which, despite the sensitive topic, often remains hidden.

The problem of sexual violence in sport is reinforced by the results of a processing commission. This reports on numerous cases in which coaches, supervisors or drivers who disused them to them. Affected patients describe attacks in changing rooms and on competition trips. It becomes clear that in competitive sport fatal dependency relationships and hierarchical structures have arisen that promote abuse. In the past, adults have often been difficult to address their experiences, while the sports community does not offer enough support for affected people. In the meantime, an urgent opening is required to deal with these serious topics in order to establish a culture of listening and speaking. The processing commission makes it clear that a change towards more sensitivity and protection is urgently necessary.

help offers for those affected

Affected of sexual abuse on the Internet and in other forms are available to support offers. The NCMEC (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children) provides valuable help for victims and their families as well as crisis intervention and local advisory services. The feeling of being online solely with an explicit picture is reduced because there are people who are ready to help. Contact with trustworthy adults such as parents or school advisors is strongly recommended in order not to be alone in such crisis situations. Support initiatives such as Team Hope also offer a platform for the exchange between families that have had similar experiences.

The topic of abuse in sport is not new, but is illuminated again by the current reporting and the shocking revelations. It is time to act in this area and to hold perpetrators as a room for the votes of the survivors to prevent further abuse.