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The woman who accused Canadian-Danish figure skater Nikolaj Sørensen of sexual assault says public comments by French ice dance team Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron create a “dangerous environment for skaters who need to report abuse” and contribute to a culture of silence in the sport.
Fournier Beaudry, a former Canadian skater, is Sørensen’s girlfriend and ex-skating partner. She has publicly defended him since the allegations surfaced in USA Today in January 2024, including in a recent Netflix documentary in which she said, “I know my boyfriend 100 per cent. I know him.”
The complainant, an American figure skating coach and former skater, has alleged Sørensen sexually assaulted her in Hartford, Conn., in 2012.
Fournier Beaudry teamed with Cizeron — the 2022 Olympic champion — last year after Sørensen received a six-year ban for sexual maltreatment from the now-defunct Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) in October 2024.
The ban was later overturned on jurisdictional grounds but remains under appeal. Sørensen has denied the allegation, which has not been tested in court.
Fournier Beaudry, who obtained French citizenship in November, and Cizeron are gold medal contenders at the Milan Cortina Olympic Games.
“The comments by the French team in the press and on a Netflix documentary create a dangerous environment for skaters who need to report abuse,” the complainant said in a statement to The Canadian Press. “The comments of the reigning Olympic champion and a team in contention for the upcoming Olympic title carry weight, and using their voices to publicly undermine a survivor’s truths further enforces the culture of silence in figure skating.”
Asked what message they are sending to survivors by defending Sørensen, Fournier Beaudry said, “We said everything we needed to say about that subject.”
“We’re focusing on the Olympics and what’s coming,” she added Friday in the mixed zone after the Olympic team event rhythm dance in Milan.
After a follow-up question, Cizeron interjected, “Is there another question?” before a media handler pulled the duo away from the scrum.