Former USA Taekwondo Coach Banned From The Sport For Sexual Misconduct
Editor's note: This story contains a graphic description of sexual behavior.
Jean Lopez, who coached the U.S. Olympic taekwondo team from 2004-2016, has been banned from USA Taekwondo. NPR obtained a copy of a report, issued by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which has not been made public. According to the report, Lopez had "a decades long pattern of sexual misconduct" and used his status as a respected athlete and coach to "groom, manipulate, and, ultimately, sexually abuse younger female athletes" â including minors.
The Lopez case was one of the first big tests for SafeSport, an entity created in March 2017 to investigate sexual abuse allegations in the 48 athletic governing bodies that operate under the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Lopez and his family have been hugely influential in taekwondo over the even dubbed them the sport's "." Lopez'sbrother Steven is the most decorated athlete in the sport, with two Olympic gold medals, a bronze medal and five world championships. Their other siblings, Diana and Mark, were also Olympians in taekwondo.
