A major scandal is brewing in Romanian sports. The local sports daily ProSport was the first to report on a 15-year-old ethnic Hungarian member of the Romanian National Gymnastics Team being physically abused and humiliated during training camp in Resicabánya (Reșița), Romania. Since all involved, both the victim and the perpetrators, are minors, their full names are not revealed in the Romanian press. They are only referred to by their initials.
According to the reports, the athletes in the training camp held an unauthorized party in one of the rooms, where they consumed a large amount of alcohol and smoked cigarettes. At that party, two gymnasts tied the 15-year-old ethnic Hungarian boy Z. K. to a radiator, stripped him naked, shaved him bald, and ashed cigarettes on his head,
while chanting ‘ungure, ungure,’ meaning ‘Hungarian, Hungarian’ in English.
No one present at the gathering stepped up in defence of the helpless Hungarian boy. The day after the horrendous incident, Z. K. left the camp and travelled back to his parents’ home in Lugos (Lugoj), where he told his father about his ordeal. ProSport later talked to the father, who told them:
‘I’m not doing anything at the moment. A few things have been solved, everything is fine with the Romanian Gymnastics Federation. I cannot say much more, I cannot talk about certain things. These things will be solved by someone else.’
Despite the surprisingly nonchalant response from the father, it seems that action may still be taken against the two aggressors, F. B. and D. P. ProSport has also reached out to criminal law experts, who shared the opinion that very serious crimes were committed if the allegations are in fact true. Unlawful restraint, battery, sexual battery, mistreatment of a minor, and ethnic discrimination could all be among the charges for the young perpetrators if they are prosecuted.
Employees of the Gymnastics Federation are not willing to talk to the press about the incident. The Romanian National Team’s preparation is currently in full swing for the 2024 European Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rimini, Italy, taking place 24–28 April.
However, the National Anti-Discrimination Council (CNDC) is considering taking legal steps to punish the perpetrators of the alleged attack. According to CDNC President Csaba Asztalos, the Council will decide on Wednesday whether or not to start proceedings into the matter under their own purview. It is not an easy case, given that no police report has been filed by the victim or any of the witnesses.
‘Again, the biggest problem is that we are dealing with a minor who has a legal representative. Proceedings against general discrimination or hate speech can be brought at the discretion of the Council, but when it is a person, it is questionable whether I can bring proceedings on his behalf when he does not want that to happen,’ Transtelex.ro quotes Asztalos in their piece covering the shocking incident.
Read more on anti-Hungarian incidents in Romania:
