What has been the role of the foundation in this particular case? When did these reports come in and when did you refer the matter to the Skating Federation?

The first report came to us directly at the end of last year, before Christmas. We got to work on it straight away at the beginning of the new year. Because it was a statement about one person and one situation, but also contained the names of people, who it suggested could be interviewed or asked for confirmation, so we contacted those people. To ascertain whether there was a wider problem.

In this case, we checked, and since we do not have the power to initiate proceedings ourselves and can only do so in cooperation with the associations, which [is the process that] has worked so far whenever there have been cases like this. We also approached the Skating Federation, came together and passed on the content.

We offered to help if they wanted to involve us in the proceedings. The skating federation discussed the matter among the board and decided we would not be involved and that our help was not needed.

Is it normal for the association to handle this by itself? It has been suggested that perhaps the skating federation has its own agenda. Are there grounds for such fears? Perhaps they are not going about this process in a sufficiently impartial and transparent way?

Very good question. They certainly have the power to set up a committee and conduct disciplinary proceedings. But I was a bit puzzled by the information yesterday regarding who has been appointed to the committee. As far as I know at the moment, there are two of the Skating Federation's board members: the general secretary and the president. There is currently a single body that investigates, draws conclusions and also makes decisions....

It already seems that this is not right.

My recommendation would definitely be to involve people from outside, to make it as transparent as possible. At the moment, it makes me a bit uneasy.

But you have your information. If at some point now, the Skating Federation makes a decision which, in fact, according to the judgement of your foundation, cannot be quite right, what could be done? Or is there a lack of legislation here?

At the moment, it is deficient in the sense that we ourselves do not have any power to initiate our own proceedings or to challenge them in any way. But that is the direction we are moving in, and we are taking the first steps towards having rules further down the line that would also give us some power. When we receive information, we can initiate our own proceedings. There will be a disciplinary board, which will take independent decisions.

But at the moment, the Skating Federation has set up this committee. They have the right to put it together as you have described. They are now going to process [the case] and we can all wait for the results.

Unfortunately, yes. On the other hand, the whole affair is an internal one for sport. The fact that it has now gone so far that the issue of on coach's persona is being discussed all over the country means, in reality, that there is a great deal of work that needs to be done first. There are a lot of mistakes and unresolved conflicts remaining. This is an internal experience for the entire sporting system – it should not be like this.

Don't you see a risk of the person being canceled? It's all on a very big scale. The public has reacted this way and that way. At the same time, there have been no final decisions. Anna Levandi herself will certainly feel that she has been judged before any definitive truth has emerged.

As I said before, I certainly do not think it is right that this issue should be dealt with on a national basis. That should be the end result, not what has been done.

Because everything has been going on under the surface for a very long time, it is just the way things are at the moment.

Exactly.

If that is exactly the way everything has been, or at least to a large extent, then what has Anna Levandi got wrong, if we consider that she is a coach of the highest caliber?

Let's put aside the coach's code of ethics, which is the basis for our conduct as coaches. The Skating Federation has also adopted a code of conduct regarding the prevention of abuse, which sets out point by point the requirements and prerequisites for a coach.... The coach must not behave in a degrading manner, must treat the trainees equally, must not tolerate bullying. Putting aside the claims from around ten people, it is clear that [the rules outlined in] these documents have been breached.

Talking about the fact that this has gone on for a long time... Should there be stricter controls on people with such coaching backgrounds? What is the lesson to be learnt in order to prevent similar cases from happening again?

Coaching is like any other job. Ethical standards apply to all of us. Status should make no difference. Unfortunately, in my line of work, I have seen that the higher the status of the coach, the wiser they feel. He or she is certainly wise when it comes to sport, to doing sport and training, the physical side. But there are certainly a lack of communication skills, of empathy  –  that is something that coaches definitely need to learn and also to control.

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