NICOSIA — Coming forward after a Greek Olympic gold medalist said she was the victim of a sexual assault by a sailing federation official in 1998, Cypriot skeet shooting champion Andri Eleftheriou repeated a similar allegation and has now reportedly given the name to police.
Eleftheriou, 36, had first made the claim in 2018 but it’s rare for women on the island to speak out about sexual harassment or assaults, said Agence France-Presse, which reported she has now identified the alleged attackers the paper didn’t name.
The Commonwealth Games gold medalist said she was encouraged to speak out by Cyprus Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis, saying the alleged assault happened at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
She didn’t say what the nature of the incident was but the paper said police are investigating with sporting officials being called in for questioning, including members of the shooting federation.
Eleftheriou spoke about her ordeal to media in the past but didn't file an official complaint until meeting with the justice minister, who congratulated the athlete for coming forward, promising that the state and she personally would support her.
“Let this give others the impetus to speak out, to break the cycle of silence and to correct everything that feeds it,” Yiolitis said in a statement.