Gymnastics coach Yevgeny Yordanov was arrested again on Tuesday morning after a new complaint accused him of serious sexual offenses against a young woman when she was a minor. Police from the Mesubim station in the Dan district detained the 51-year-old Kiryat Ono resident, and the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court extended his remand until June 28.
The latest arrest came just two weeks after prosecutors filed a grave indictment against Yordanov in Tel Aviv District Court for sexual offenses against two other former athletes. The indictment, filed by attorney Nitzan Friedman of the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office, alleges multiple sexual offenses committed between 2016 and 2020, in Israel and abroad, while the girls were under 16 and under his authority as their personal coach.
According to the charges, Yordanov raped complainant A, invaded her privacy, and extorted her by threats. He is also accused of committing indecent acts against both complainants, including touching intimate parts of their bodies without consent. The court filing says complainant A traveled with the national team to training camps and competitions abroad while alone and under the coach’s full responsibility.
As part of the investigation, Yordanov’s wife, who also coaches on the national team, was questioned under caution on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a felony. Police suspect she knew of the alleged abuse and in some cases tried to cover it up and prevent it from being exposed. Judge Roi Peri said the reasonable-suspicion threshold against her was not especially high, but barred her from coaching minors for seven days. Her name and identifying details remain under gag order.
