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Former tennis ace Martina Navratilova hailed Iga Swiatek as the world No.1 recently addressed the shocking news regarding Miroslaw Skrzypczynski, president of the Polish Tennis Association.
Former tennis coach Skrzypczynski was accused of beating his daughter, abusing his ex-wife, and molesting young players. Similar accusations against him were made more recently by Polish MP Katarzyna Kotula.
Iga Swiatek took to her social media to speak about it and voice her concerns about the victims' mental wellbeing. Martina Navratilova praised Iga Swiatek for using her voice for good.
“I feel that as a current leader of women’s tennis I can’t be silent about particular matters. Considering my sensitivity, knowledge, boundaries and strength I have at the moment to support people who suffer or encourage you to do something, like taking care about our mental health. And that’s why I know that, when it comes to physical violence or emotional abuse, the most important issue is think and being sensitive about victims. And when we speak up about something wrong happening, we need to think about them first and most of all,” Iga Swiatek wrote.
“I’m against violence in sports, in tennis, in every discipline and in everyday life. That’s why I consider the articles about the president of the Polish Tennis Association as a serious matter. Governing bodies should determine what happened and I hope they will take care of this case after the media wrote about the stories of people who they talked with. This is not my role to do the work of governing bodies and journalists as the matter is too serious and it’s about people’s life and health,” she expressed.
"I hope that with exposure of such matters and solving them carefully and fairly, sports will change for the better" - Iga Swiatek on physical and sexual abuse allegations against Polish Tennis Association president Miroslaw Skrzypczynski
The world No.1 further added that it is essential for victims to seek assistance and not hide their suffering.
“What I feel I can do is to encourage you to look for help when something bad happens in sports communities and in every situation in life when there is a possibility that someone can suffer from physical violence or emotional abuse. If someone suffers because of it, the most important thing is to take care of themselves and seek support, e.g. there are hotlines and organizations helping people who suffer because of violence. This can be my role and this is how I can use my influence here - being a voice who tries to educate and remind that the most significant thing is to look for help when you need it,” Iga Swiatek stated.
"Personally, I was lucky to not experience such difficult, terrible situations and I’m grateful for my Dad and for how wisely he manages my career. I have an amazing team, safety and currently I’m really privileged but I’m aware that not every athlete could have the same independence,” Swiatek said.
Iga Swiatek hopes that as a result of instances like the one with Miroslaw Skrzypczynski becoming public, the right course of action would be taken, and sports in Poland and throughout the world would progress for good.
“I hope that with exposure of such matters and solving them carefully and fairly, sports will change for the better, in Poland and in the world,” Iga Swiatek added.
