EGN NEWS DESK
While Kang has been suspended from teaching at Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center pending the result of a U.S. Center for SafeSport investigation, La Mirada Aquabelles, the native membership Kang based and become a pipeline to the U.S. nationwide staff will proceed to coach on the facility, La Mirada metropolis manager Jeff Boynton confirmed Wednesday.
The metropolis’s suspension follows the publication final month of a greater than nine-month Register investigation by which present and former U.S. nationwide staff and Aquabelles swimmers in interviews and paperwork alleged that Kang usually bodily, verbally and emotionally abused athletes as younger as 9, a lot of whom have been pushed hours every day or relocated from different elements of the state or nation to coach beneath Kang.
Kang repeatedly bullied, laughed at or ignored swimmers sobbing or screaming in ache and in a minimum of one occasion personally dislocated an athlete’s toe throughout stretching drills and coaching, 16 present and former Aquabelles swimmers, together with former U.S. nationwide staff members, and oldsters allege in interviews, formal complaints filed with the U.S. Center for Safe Sport, different confidential Safe Sport paperwork and athlete interview recordings and transcripts, and USA Artistic Swimming paperwork obtained by the Register.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport has acquired complaints from as many as 18 swimmers and oldsters towards Kang detailing greater than 80 particular allegations over the course of the previous 13 years starting from bodily, verbal and emotional abuse, bullying, physique shaming, forcing athletes to compete or practice whereas injured or affected by medical points that required surgical procedure, and little one labor and endangerment abuses, in keeping with SafeSport paperwork obtained by the Register and interviews.
Kang was suspended as a U.S. Olympic and nationwide staff coach by USA Artistic Swimming, the game’s nationwide governing physique, on May 9.
“The City just lately grew to become conscious of an investigation being performed by U.S. Center for SafeSport relating to allegations towards Coach Kang; a few of that are alleged to have occurred at Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center,” Boynton wrote in an electronic mail to the Register Wednesday. “The City additionally discovered that Coach Kang was just lately suspended by USA Artistic Swimming pending the outcomes of the investigation. Out of an abundance of warning, the City made the choice to briefly droop Coach Kang from teaching at Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center till the outcomes of the investigation by SafeSport are recognized. Until then, the City can be offering no additional touch upon this merchandise.”
Kang has not responded to repeated requests for remark.
Kang in January was named an assistant coach for the Los Angeles-based U.S. nationwide staff and tasked with taking part in a number one position in getting ready Team USA for the Olympic Games in Paris later this summer season. It was the newest in a collection of Team USA promotions for Kang, who has been a part of U.S. nationwide staff staffs since 2011.
The appointment got here 16 months after Adam Andrasko, chief govt officer of USA Artistic Swimming, the game’s nationwide governing physique, was introduced with complaints alleging “psychological and emotional misconduct and abuse” by Kang, that she compelled injured athletes to apply or compete, routinely physique shamed younger athletes and dedicated little one labor abuse by punishing athletes as younger as 11 by making them train swimming to and monitor youngsters between ages 5 and seven for as much as two hours per day whereas in any other case unsupervised by adults or any licensed lifeguard, in keeping with USA Artistic Swimming paperwork. One father or mother alleged in a criticism that their 11-year-old daughter witnessed a small little one practically drown whereas being “taught” by one other Aquabelle staff member.
Swimmers suffered common bodily abuse by Kang starting from being required to coach as a lot as 40 hours per week, being compelled to coach or compete whereas recovering from surgical procedures, accidents that required different medical remedy and concussions, to being subjected to hypoxic coaching that put athletes prone to shedding consciousness beneath water, athletes and oldsters allege in interviews, SafeSport complaints and recordings. Swimmers have suffered dislocated toes and hyperextended knees and different leg accidents throughout drills by which Kang has manipulated their legs or toes to the purpose the place some swimmers scream in ache or are left in tears, athletes and oldsters allege in interviews, complaints and Safe Sport interview recordings.
A U.S. nationwide staff member recalled Kang laughing as 11- and 12-year-old swimmers cried in ache throughout a two-chair drill designed to create better flexibility. In the drill, a swimmer does the splits, resting the underside a part of her entrance leg on the entrance chair, her decrease a part of her again leg on the chair behind her, her torso and higher a part of each legs suspended between the 2 chairs with Kang sitting on the hamstring space of a woman’s unsupported again leg.
“The ladies are crying, tears working down their faces and Hiea is laughing about it and saying, ‘Suck it up.’ That turns it from serving to to being malicious.”
Kang additionally routinely verbally abuses athletes, swearing at them or calling them “dumb,” “silly,” or “losers,” in keeping with interviews, SafeSport complaints and recordings.
“‘Losers’ is her favourite phrase,” Miranda Marquez, a former Aquabelles swimmer stated.
Kang usually physique shames swimmers, making vital and demeaning feedback about their weight, look, physiques and weight-reduction plan, in keeping with interviews and complaints. In April 2020, Kang required swimmers as younger as 13 to usually ship her photographs of them carrying sports activities bras or bikini tops and leggings so she may observe adjustments of their physique over a month-long interval.
Kang has denied swimmers water breaks and restricted their lunch break to 5 minutes even on days the place the athletes are coaching eight hours, swimmers and oldsters allege. Kang at occasions has refused to let swimmers go away the pool to eat and even contact the pool’s partitions whereas within the water, leaving swimmers to eat snacks like cheese sticks whereas egg-beating to remain afloat in the course of the water, athletes and oldsters stated in interviews.
Swimmers and oldsters additionally allege that Kang was being paid to show younger youngsters, some preschool-aged, but as an alternative of educating the youngsters herself, instructed a few of her inventive swimmers to oversee the youngsters, a few of them not a lot older than the kid they have been watching, in keeping with SafeSport complaints, interviews and two movies. Sometimes Kang ordered Aquabelles swimmers to oversee the babies as punishment for errors throughout apply or being injured, in keeping with SafeSport complaints and interviews.One incident involving a 5-year-old boy in 2022 on the La Mirada facility was notably alarming, swimmers and oldsters allege.
The mom of two Aquabelles college students wrote to SafeSport that she eliminated her youngsters from the membership in 2022 due to “security issues that I’ve personally witnessed.”
The boy and different babies have been left by Kang to be supervised by grade school- and center school-aged inventive swimmers whereas she coached the Aquabelles groups, the boy’s mom alleged in a SafeSport criticism.
“One day, (her son) was within the pool holding on to one of many college students for a very long time as a result of he didn’t know the right way to swim on his personal. He was scared and was crying. (Her son) was floating on his again and Coach Kang informed the scholar to assist (her son) to swim on his abdomen. (Her son) started crying and needed to get out of the pool. However, Coach Kang made (her son) keep within the water and had the scholar assist (her son) to remain afloat and flip him on his abdomen. (Her son) continued to cry eager to get out of the water. All the scholars together with Coach Kang all laughed at (her son) when he was crying eager to get out of the water. This incident was video recorded.
“It looks as if Coach Kang and the older college students have been getting a kick out of (her son) struggling within the water.”
On a video of the incident obtained by the Register, Kang may be heard instructing a swimmer, showing to be grade college or center college age, to strategy the 5-year-old who was flailing whereas attempting to drift on his again.“Come over right here and flip him over,” Kang stated.
“What are you doing?”
Kang is then heard laughing.
“Just flip him over on his abdomen,” she stated earlier than persevering with to snort.
“OK,” she stated.
She then continued laughing.
Three mother and father confirmed it’s Kang’s voice on the video.
The 5-year-old, the mom wrote, “consumed plenty of pool water. After this incident, (her son) was sick for 3 days with fever and missed college. He had abdomen pains and vomited quite a few occasions. I consider this was resulting from (her son) ingesting plenty of pool water. It is lucky that there have been no severe accidents in the course of the apply classes.
“I strongly consider Coach Kang ought to have common assistants which might be correctly educated to deal with the novice swimmers. Otherwise, there’s certain to be penalties.”
