Reports of Physical Abuse in the Camp of Former European Champion

[rinkside_user]

Multiple sources claim there's ongoing physical and verbal abuse in the training camp of Julia Sebestyen (HUN) as well as favoritism towards naturalized sportspeople, mostly from Russia.

"In relation to Julia Sebestyen, she [mother of figure skater Mozes Berei] suggests even stronger accusations, citing "strong gripping/holding, scratching, occasional slaps, shameful favoritism, insults, neglect". She also gives an example of how Sebestyen simply didn't take no for an answer: when her son was sick with a fever and bronchitis during the national championships in December 2021, "[his ballet teacher] called me with concern to withdraw my son from the competition as he would not do it on his own, because he wanted to meet Sebestyen's expectations at all costs. In hindsight, I know I made a mistake when I let him go to the competition. After the short program (he was already vomiting back then), I asked Sebestyen not to let him run the free skate. She told me she was the coach and my son would continue, full stop. She didn't care about his cough, citing "he should endure it, he should fight, he is an athlete", and then she slammed the phone on me."

The parents of figure skater Cintia Szabo added: "During a training session, my daughter had a huge fall. She got a huge lump on her head. Apparently, that's inevitable on ice. But Sebestyen didn't call a doctor, didn't call us immediately after the fall, and didn't even let her off the ice, she made her go through the practice. When we got to the rink at the end of her practice, Cintia was still crying. We took her to the doctor, she got X-rays. Fortunately, there was no fracture, but the lump had grown so large that it remained palpable for a month. Later, just before Covid, at a training camp in Blasko in the Czech Republic, her roommate, a much younger girl of about 10 years of age, entered their room in the evening with bruises on her arms and back. When Cintia asked her what had happened, she said that Sebestyen had slapped her, squeezed her and pulled her."

(for the translation, I used help from DeepL)

Source: https://24.hu/sport/2023/02/12/sebe...njan-gurgen-jeranjak-ipakjan-moksz-kosa-lajos

The allegations have been confirmed by other parents, coaches, competitors and a renowned sports psychologist to several board members. Sadly, Gurgen Vardanjan (Sebestyen's former coach and now in a leading position at the national federation) has done everything to silence dissent and cover up these allegations. Furthermore, the article lists several young competitors leaving the club of Sebestyen in the past couple of years, all citing favoritism towards Russian-born skaters or harsh treatment as their reason to leave.

I'm fckin furious. There needs to be an independent investigation and, when proven guilty, they need to go, period.

 

[Leocadia]

Horrifying. I hope something will be done, though it does not seem very likely.

When Vivien Papp announced she would stop representing Hungary, I remember some people on reddit saying Julia Sebestyen was an abusive coach, but that she was favoured and protected by the federation. It’s good that an article has been written about it, so that more people can be aware of this situation at least, but I really hope this will be seriously investigated.

 

[el henry]

This is horrifying and sad, and if true, Sebastyen should never coach again.

That such abusive conduct is hidden behind words like She didn't care about his cough, citing "he should endure, he should fight, he is an athlete", and then she slammed the phone down on me."

Coaches who act like this are weak and cowardly, and have no idea what "endure" and "fight" mean.

 

[moonvine]

Oh no

 

[sjchilly]

Julia Sebestyen had a long competitive career. She was the European Champion in 2004. She struggled to find ice and coaching. She was a very talented skater with great speed, spins and fairly reliable jumps. She should have often been near the top of the field, but sometimes even under the new judging system she got help from a Hungarian judge.​

 

[macy]

this is very very sad, and it's likely she learned this behavior from her former coach. since he has a high position in the national governing body, it sounds very unlikely something will be done as he is trying to cover up her behavior. i don't know what can be done since he is a leader, or if there is anyone above him. abusers enable abusers.

 

[Weathergal]

this is very very sad, and it's likely she learned this behavior from her former coach. since he has a high position in the national governing body, it sounds very unlikely something will be done as he is trying to cover up her behavior. i don't know what can be done since he is a leader, or if there is anyone above him. abusers enable abusers.

I remember when Ivett Toth left Julia for another coach and seemed to struggle after that. I kept thinking "Your lutz was better with Julia, who's a Lutz master -- why did you switch?" I don't know why she made the change, and it might not have anything to do with this alleged behavior, but it is hard not to wonder.

 

[Skater Boy]

Oh no! If this is true this is horrible. It seems like there are more and more stories of abuse co ming out of this sport. VEry sad. But it may be society - society need to win, to succeed, to get more, to do more.

 

[surimi]

This is sickening. I don't care about Sebestyen's numerous accomplishments, these allegations have zero to do with them. If evidence and multiple witnesses prove her guilt, i.e. bullying and abuse in her team, she needs to be banned from coaching. I'm afraid this is just the tip of the iceberg. The problem permeates skating worldwide. The persons responsible should be investigated thoroughly, and actions taken so that newcomer coaches learn how (not) to treat students. VIP status in a federation should not protect anyone accused of mistreatment, especially mistreatment of minors, nor anyone who hushes things up and is therefore complicit.

Good for Vivien Papp to be free of the Hungarian Federation, and fingers crossed for a fair lawsuit, if the parents of the wronged kids can afford to stand up to the entire federation.

And as much as I feel for the overcrowded deep Russian fields, the multiple newcomers are sure not a good thing for local skating, not just in Hungary. Where does it stop?

 

[4everchan]

Unacceptable. At the same time, though it pains me to read these allegations of abuse in sport, it is about time it gets out in the open. Abuse in sport is not new. What is new is that people are no longer willing to accept the toxic culture and environment of elite sport. I suspect we will hear more and more about many and many more cases... until a culture change brings some safety to the athletes.

 

[Fluture]

There's not much that hasn't been said but hearing things like these always makes me both sad and really angry. Sports shouldn't be like this, children (nor anyone, really!) should never be treated like this. I remember some talk about it when Vivien Papp announced she was switching feds, so in a way I'm glad it's fully out in the open now. I only hope the people responsible will face consequences - though they probably won't. They'll probably sweep it under the rug and go about their day, without a care for the children who suffered for it. It's happened too many times before in this sport.

 

[rinkside_user]

In the meantime, the last figure skater of Hungarian origin heading to Worlds has left Sebestyen's camp: Julia Lang is training in Italy. She is the next addition to a long list of skaters who have left: Mozes Berei, Vivien Papp, Balazs Nagy, Lena Ekker, as well as Katinka Zsembery / Andras Csernoch. The national team is populated with naturalized Russian or Belarusian figure skaters. There's an ongoing talk of everyday intimidation and humiliation from the now Armenian-led federation as well as from Sebestyen's club.

Source: https://24.hu/sport/2023/02/13/lang...gos-korcsolyazo-szovetseg-egna-rorenzo-magni/
Mozes Berei's latest IG post, confirming he's training with Lang in Italy: https://www.instagram.com/p/ComNC_IoQn-/

 

[MiraiFan]

The whole thing is filthy. They are ditching their talented home-grown athletes for quick wins by Russians, etc.
It's all about money at the end of the day--someone in the federation got paid off. It's how the country has worked since Orban has been dictator.

 

[skatedreamer]

In the meantime, the last figure skater of Hungarian origin heading to Worlds has left Sebestyen's camp: Julia Lang is training in Italy. She is the next addition to a long list of skaters who have left: Mozes Berei, Vivien Papp, Balazs Nagy, Lena Ekker, as well as Katinka Zsembery / Andras Csernoch. The national team is populated with naturalized Russian or Belarusian figure skaters. There's an ongoing talk of everyday intimidation and humiliation from the now Armenian-led federation as well as from Sebestyen's club.

Source: https://24.hu/sport/2023/02/13/lang...gos-korcsolyazo-szovetseg-egna-rorenzo-magni/
Mozes Berei's latest IG post, confirming he's training with Lang in Italy: https://www.instagram.com/p/ComNC_IoQn-/

If Sebestyen is bullying her skaters, she deserves to lose them. The same is true for any coach in any sport who treats their athletes that way.

 

[MaHa75]

If Sebestyen is bullying her skaters, she deserves to lose them. The same is true for any coach in any sport who treats their athletes that way.

Unfortunately she is not the only one in this sport! Every country has is own Sebestyen. Estonia have Levandi with same attitude.

 

[TT_Fin]

Unfortunately she is not the only one in this sport! Every country has is own Sebestyen. Estonia have Levandi with same attitude.

It is more common in many sport than we can imagine. The saddest thing is these kind of behavior has its defenders, mostly the favorite person and their parents. And there are outsiders who say "well children must must endure discipline if they want to succeed", and if they talk about seniors "well these people are adults", without realizing the "adults" are many still teenagers and minors. And if these coaches succeed with some, they can continue, but the fact that it is not clear those abused ones succeed.

I remember herself. Even she is an European champion and was a good jumper, she was very uneven skater herself. Sometimes she popped a lot of her jumps. Maybe it was before the new system, so I am not sure if protocols from those times can be found. Was she skating when herself was sick or injured then?

 

[el henry]

Unfortunately she is not the only one in this sport! Every country has is own Sebestyen. Estonia have Levandi with same attitude.

I agree that this sad attitude of "oh it shows strength to train through injury" (baloney) has defenders everywhere.

But I have heard nothing about this kind of behavior with regard to Levandi; in fact, I have the complete opposite:

“Methods that some coaches seem to have taken from Tutberidze don’t work on free people. You can’t yell or swear at children.” Interview with Estonian coach Anna Levandi

Interview with Estonian coach Anna Levandi.

fs-gossips.com

Can you give me a link that shows otherwise?

 

[lilimum]

I agree that this sad attitude of "oh it shows strength to train through injury" (baloney) has defenders everywhere.

But I have heard nothing about this kind of behavior with regard to Levandi; in fact, I have the complete opposite:

“Methods that some coaches seem to have taken from Tutberidze don’t work on free people. You can’t yell or swear at children.” Interview with Estonian coach Anna Levandi

Interview with Estonian coach Anna Levandi.

fs-gossips.com

Can you give me a link that shows otherwise?

I agree with el henry: When my daughter was training on the same rink like Arlet I never had the impression that Levandi was treating the skater disrespectful. Quite the contrary, i wished there would be coaches like this in Germany, where I see and hear very often stupid behavior and talking towards the young skaters including giving them pills to loose weight.

 

[skatedreamer]

It is more common in many sport than we can imagine. The saddest thing is these kind of behavior has its defenders, mostly the favorite person and their parents. And there are outsiders who say "well children must must endure discipline if they want to succeed", and if they talk about seniors "well these people are adults", without realizing the "adults" are many still teenagers and minors. And if these coaches succeed with some, they can continue, but the fact that it is not clear those abused ones succeed.

I remember herself. Even she is an European champion and was a good jumper, she was very uneven skater herself. Sometimes she popped a lot of her jumps. Maybe it was before the new system, so I am not sure if protocols from those times can be found. Was she skating when herself was sick or injured then?

According to Wikipedia, Sebastyen began competing in 1995, well before the current scoring system. I recall seeing her in competitions on TV but can't remember much about her skating.

It sounds as if training wasn't always easy for her because she had to travel quite a bit in summers due to limited ice time in Hungary. Then, after the Budapest ice rink burned down in 2000, she had to train at an outdoor rink in a city park. I assume the rink was public, which must have been really difficult for her. She also had a foot injury late in the 2008-09 season and couldn't skate at the 2009 Worlds.

I can see how these challenges might have caused her to become tough and impatient, but that doesn't excuse bullying her students.

The Wiki article also shows all of Sebastyen's major career results.

Júlia Sebestyén - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[MaHa75]

I agree that this sad attitude of "oh it shows strength to train through injury" (baloney) has defenders everywhere.

But I have heard nothing about this kind of behavior with regard to Levandi; in fact, I have the complete opposite:

“Methods that some coaches seem to have taken from Tutberidze don’t work on free people. You can’t yell or swear at children.” Interview with Estonian coach Anna Levandi

Interview with Estonian coach Anna Levandi.

fs-gossips.com

Can you give me a link that shows otherwise?

Yes Levandi is good for promoting herself! This article is full of lies. But the fact is that all girls from elder group left her last year! Girls still want to skate and in small country like Estonia nobody dont want to go public against most known coach. This is sad but Levandi has power in federation.
IN this article she say bad things about Rozanov and the only reason for that is, thst one student went for Rozanov. And Kiibus didnt left her because she found love but because Annas behavior and injuries what she got with.training with her.