Greek President praises Olympic medallist for breaking abuse silence

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou welcomes Olympic sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou, following Bekatorou's statements on being sexually assaulted by a sports official in 1998, at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece, January 18, 2021. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/Pool

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's president praised Olympic sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou for dissolving "a conspiracy of silence" by reporting a historic allegation of sexual assault by a sports official.

Bekatorou, who won a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics, told the Greek edition of Marie Claire last month that she had suffered the abuse in 1998 when she was 21.