German talent abused?
Tennis boss Hordorff is to resign after allegations of violence
03/27/2023, 7:45 p.m
For more than a year, the German Tennis Association has known about the allegations that two players make against its Vice President Dirk Hordorff. Only now does the association call on the accused to resign, but he refuses. And explains why he is resting his office regardless.
The German Tennis Association (DTB) has again asked its Vice President Dirk Hordorff to resign, although the long-time official has rejected the allegations of sexualized violence and abuse of power as “simply untrue”. After the presidium, the ombudsman and spokesman for the federal committee is now demanding that the 66-year-old give up his office by Wednesday, the DTB announced.
Serious allegations had previously been made public. NDR, “Sportschau” and “Süddeutsche Zeitung” had reported allegations by former tennis pro Maximilian Abel, among others, that there had been sexualized assaults for years. Among other things, in the past they had to undress for “muscle checks”, do push-ups naked and were touched on the body, said Abel, who is currently in prison, and Sriram Balaji, an Indian. At the end of the 1990s, Abel was considered one of the greatest tennis talents of his age worldwide, while Balaji came to Germany in 2010 on a scholarship.
According to its own statements, the DTB had known about this for more than a year, but had apparently seen no reason to act before the allegations were recently published. In February 2022, the association learned of the statements made by a former player about a member of the executive committee. However, these allegations are not related to Hordorff’s office as Vice President, but to his job as a private trainer, the DTB said.
Hordorff is unable to perform his duties due to health issues
Hordorff had denied the allegations and had his lawyer explain that there was no connection with the allegations that he was currently leaving his office. “Due to an operation on an aneurysm that took place at the beginning of March and an upcoming operation on an aneurysm, Mr. Hordorff is currently not in a position to hold office,” the lawyer said.
Meanwhile, the DTB wants to “work with external specialists and provide scientific support for the workup”. It had previously been said that an independent investigation by a specialized law firm had come to the conclusion “that the allegation of misconduct cannot be proven with certainty”. If Hordorff still does not resign of his own accord, the association intends to convene an extraordinary general meeting for the dismissal.