Gymnastics Coach Arrested Again After New Sex Crime Complaint

Israeli police said Tuesday that they arrested gymnastics coach Evgeny Yordanov again, this time on suspicion of serious sex offenses against a woman in her 20s for acts allegedly committed when she was a minor. Yordanov, 51, from Kiryat Ono, is due to appear the same day for a hearing on extending his detention at Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court.

The new complaint was filed after Yordanov was already indicted last week for similar offenses against two other girls he coached in Petah Tikva. Police said the latest investigation was opened over allegations that the acts took place several years ago and continued over an extended period.

On Sunday last week, the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office filed an indictment in the city’s District Court accusing Yordanov of multiple sex offenses against the two gymnasts while they were under 16. He coached them in the artistic gymnastics team, together with his wife. The indictment covers 2016 to 2020 and includes rape, indecent acts, invasion of privacy, and extortion by threats.

According to the indictment, one of the complainants traveled with the team to training camps and competitions abroad and was under the coach’s full responsibility. Prosecutors wrote that Yordanov “exploited his status and the fact that he was responsible for the minors,” and that he carried out indecent acts involving touching the girls’ bodies without their consent.