Estonian Olympic Committee president says Mehis Viru's actions undermine sports

TALLINN – The president of the Estonian Olympic Committee, Kersti Kaljulaid, said on Friday that disgraced coach Mehis Viru's continued appearance in the role of a coach undermines all of Estonian sports.

"Sport is based on rules. The stopwatch stops when the finish line is reached, not before. A game ends with the referee's whistle, not later. In backstroke swimming, you swim on your back, not freestyle. In sports, it is customary to follow the rules that apply. Those who do not should leave the arena," Kaljulaid wrote on social media.

The head of the Estonian Olympic Committee pointed out that Mehis Viru, who has been given an indefinite ban from coaching, is deliberately ignoring the rules and continuing his work as a coach.

"If the board of the Estonian Athletics Association has determined that Mehis Viru's violations are of such a nature that he is unfit to work in athletics, this decision must be respected. His actions undermine all of Estonian sports. This is not okay," Kaljulaid said.

Media have reported that on Thursday, Viru was present at a competition in Udine, Italy, where high jumper Karmen Bruus was also competing.

At the end of last year, the Southern District Prosecutor's Office sent to a court a criminal case in which Mehis Viru was charged with coercion into sexual intercourse and other sexual acts. According to the charges, Viru exploited two athletes under his authority. One was repeatedly coerced into non-consensual sexual intercourse, while the other was subjected to other acts of a sexual nature. The sexual intercourses allegedly took place at sports facilities in Estonia, the victim's home, and abroad during training camps and competitions. The acts involving the second athlete took place in a sports hall in Tartu, according the charges.

The investigation was opened after the 2023 Junior World Championships in Cali, Colombia, when Dmitrijs Miļkevičs, secretary general of the Latvian Athletics Association, alerted the Estonian sports federation about concerns related to interactions between Viru and one of his athletes. In February 2023, Viru was issued an indefinite coaching ban.