On February 23, the Estonian Olympic Committee (EOK) and the Estonian Anti-Doping and Sports Ethics Foundation (EADSE) received an image which seemed to show Tõnis Sildaru had used physical violence against his son, who was a minor at the time, in 2019.

Postimees wrote this photo had been disclosed just one day after the EOK awarded a stipend of €35,000 to Tõnis Sildaru, as Henry's coach, and €70,000 to Henry himself, as a result of taking silver in the halfpipe event at last month's Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

The source of the photo is allegedly Kelly Sildaru, Henry's older sister and a freestyle ski star in her own right; it had been taken at a training camp in New Zealand in 2019, and reportedly depicts Tõnis and 13-year-old Henry, with the former seeming to deploy physical violence on the latter.

The image itself has not been publicized, and Postimees has posted an artist's impression of the original.

Henry Sildaru posted on social media late on Monday his father's explanation for the incident.

"When I look at that situation from 2019 today, of course I feel embarrassed," Henry Sildaru quoted his father as saying. "I took Henry's [computer] tablet away and also let a few harsh words fly. The argument was over for us immediately afterward. As a father, I believed I was standing up for what was right. Was the method right? It was the only thing that came to mind after I had repeatedly said: 'Put the tablet away'. It was a complicated and emotional time. Today, I might act differently."

Henry Sildaru himself also said he was partly at fault over the incident. "I was 13 at the time and can still remember what happened. It was a period when my mother and father were already separating. The time was tense and relationships between all of us were strained," Henry Sildaru wrote. "During that episode, I spent days at the camp sitting on my tablet, and refused to put it away. That was wrong on my part. I affirm that my father did not hurt me when he took the tablet away from me. Not least since I myself was responsible for creating the situation."

"I confirm that I have been, am today, and will remain by my father's side and behind him. I have not a single complaint against my father," Henry went on.

EOK chair Kersti Kaljulaid on Monday defended the decision to award the bonus to Tõnis Sildaru, stressing that this was a separate issue from the incident outlined above, and that the award of the bonus should in no way be taken as a value judgment, and noting the controversy over the allegations of Tõnis, which also cover alleged embezzlement – a matter which is currently with the courts.

The EOK's executive committee is due to convene Tuesday for its regular meeting, where the letter and the photograph received on February 23 will also be discussed.

Henry Sildaru, now 19, was Estonia's sole medalist at the recently concluded Milano Cortina games.

Kelly Sildaru had won bronze in the freestyle skiing at the previous Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022.

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