Two More Former Gymnasts File Abuse Complaints Against Coach Yevgeny Yordanov

Two additional young women went to police and joined the growing list of complainants against gymnastics coach Yevgeny Yordanov, who is already on trial for sex offenses against girls under 16. The new allegations, police said, match a pattern described in the earlier indictment, while the defense says they are belated and baseless complaints. Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court accepted the investigators’ position and extended Yordanov’s detention by six days.

At the hearing, police said the two new complainants came forward after last week’s indictment was filed in the earlier case. According to their accounts, the abuse occurred during private training sessions in 2018 and 2019, when they were 12 and 13 years old. A police representative said Yordanov allegedly put his hand under their leotards and touched each girl’s chest. The new complaints were filed on June 16 and 17, only days after the previous indictment.

Police told the court that eight investigative steps still need to be completed, some involving concern that the suspect could obstruct the probe. The defense challenged the arrest, arguing that the girls reported the incidents years later, that police waited several days before seeking a detention order, and that there is no evidence Yordanov tried to interfere with the investigation. The defense also said the complainants kept attending training afterward, and that in at least one case the mother allegedly knew about the complaint at the time. It argued that contact is part of a gymnastics coach’s work, including stretching and preventing falls, and said police had not examined the profession’s realities.

Police replied that the delay in obtaining the arrest warrant stemmed from system constraints and the process of signing warrants. They also confirmed there is no direct evidence of actual or attempted obstruction. Judge Moshe Sarugovitz ruled that the material currently establishes reasonable suspicion for the alleged offenses, noting they involve sexual crimes against minors allegedly committed through abuse of authority as a coach. He found grounds for detention based on danger and possible obstruction, and said the fact that the alleged events happened years ago does not eliminate the need to complete the investigation now that the complaints have only recently surfaced.