Former Olympic figure skater Peter Oppegard investigated over abuse
The U.S. Center for SafeSport is investigating 1988 U.S. Olympic pairs bronze medalist and famend figure skating coach Peter Oppegard over allegations of bodily abuse, in line with emails obtained by USA TODAY Sports and two folks questioned by SafeSport.
Oppegard, a member of the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame, allegedly bit a teenage feminine skater on the arm throughout a 2013 coaching session, in line with the skater, her mom and an individual who was current within the rink and mentioned they noticed the chunk mark instantly afterward.
The SafeSport investigation, which has been ongoing since July, can be trying into allegations that Oppegard threw scorching water and occasional at skaters he coached on a number of events at East West Ice Palace in Artesia, California, the place he labored from 2005 till he left in 2018, in line with two individuals who witnessed Oppegard’s actions and have mentioned them with SafeSport, and who requested anonymity for worry of reprisal.
Oppegard didn’t reply Wednesday and Thursday to emails and voicemails on his cellphone requesting remark.
Oppegard, 61, is the estranged husband of skating coach and choreographer Karen Kwan, an elite nationwide skater within the mid-Nineteen Nineties and the older sister of Michelle Kwan, the nine-time nationwide champion, five-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist. The Kwan household owns and operates the Artesia rink.
Oppegard and his former pairs associate Jill Watson maintain the excellence of being the final Americans to win an Olympic medal in pairs figure skating with their bronze on the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games. They additionally gained three nationwide championships and the bronze medal on the 1987 world championships.
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Pairs skater Jessica Pfund advised USA TODAY Sports in a telephone interview Tuesday night that Oppegard bit her after changing into livid together with her throughout a follow session in 2013, when she was 15.
“He was helping to position me on the ice to show me a landing position on a jump. Both of his hands were holding me, and he leaned over and bit me on the skin on my upper right arm, near the bicep,” Pfund mentioned.
“I remember being completely baffled why he did it,” she mentioned. “I went residence with a bruise and a chunk mark on my arm. My mother mentioned, ‘I can see the teeth marks.’ ”
“It was obvious,” said Laurel Pfund, Jessica’s mother, who was at work and not at the rink when her daughter was bitten. “There was a bite mark on her arm, and she was bruised.”
Jessica Pfund said the bruise lasted for at least a week.
She said she and her mother talked about what to do about the incident at home that night. “I asked my mom not to say anything about it because every time she would try, everything would get worse with him, our lessons and the criticism would get worse. It was better to say nothing.”
Pfund said she and her mother also were concerned about what might happen to Karen Kwan and the couple’s two daughters if they reported Oppegard to U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body for the sport. SafeSport did not exist at the time; it opened in March 2017 to investigate abuse in Olympic sports.
“His kids were so young and we felt that if we reported him, we might affect their family,” she said.
Pfund left Oppegard in May 2014 after nearly three years at the Artesia rink. She and her current pairs partner, Joshua Santillan, now train in Ellenton, Florida, where she also is a coach. Pfund and Santillan finished in the top 10 at the U.S. national championships from 2016-2020, including fifth in 2017. They are taking the current season off from competition.
Pfund, now 23, said she spoke on the phone with SafeSport investigator Simone Cardosa for about an hour on July 28, 2020 about Oppegard. She also has exchanged emails with Cardosa. Pfund said she did not file a complaint against Oppegard with SafeSport. Cardosa initiated communication with her, she said.
“The Center does not comment on matters to protect the integrity of the process and the parties involved,” SafeSport spokesman Dan Hill said Wednesday afternoon.
On Wednesday night, USFS issued this assertion to USA TODAY Sports: “U.S. Figure Skating supports all victims of abuse and misconduct and encourages anyone who has been abused or suspects abuse or misconduct to immediately report it to local law enforcement, the U.S. Center for SafeSport or U.S. Figure Skating.”
