Badminton federation bans coach over misconduct involving minors
A badminton coach has been banned from involvement in the sport following allegations of them sending unsolicited inappropriate photos to minors, Ohtuleht reported.
On October 6 this year, the Estonian Badminton Federation board imposed a permanent ban on Karl-Rasmus Pungas, after an investigation which followed from a tip-off by a well-known social media influencer and reality show star.
Badminton federation executive director Siiri Rajamägi turned to the Estonian Anti-Doping and Sports Ethics Foundation (EADSE), telling Õhtuleht there appeared to be some substance to the stories and that "there were several girls who had the courage to share their stories with us."
Since the violations concerned minors and the actions had been systemic and over a lengthy period of time, the ban on Pungas was made permanent, the federation said.
The case began to unfold in spring when influencer Mallukas, real name Mallu Mariann Treimann-Legrant, had posted hinting that a coach had been sending inappropriate messages which included unsolicited images of his genitals to athletes, who were reportedly underage.
The badminton federation's board initiated a disciplinary proceeding to investigate the allegations and concluded that Pungas had violated section 3(2) of the coaches' code of ethics, which includes a requirement for coaches to uphold the right of those they are coaching not to be harassed or exploited, be it verbally, physically, or sexually.
The federation stated in a press release Friday that the conduct in question also failed to comply with current law, namely the requirements of the Child Protection Act.
The board says it will propose the Estonian Olympic Committee (EOK) revoke Pungas' coaching license.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Henrik Laever
