A Korean synchronized swimming coach, previously affiliated with the U.S. National Team, is embroiled in allegations of prolonged abuse against athletes. Despite being suspended from her coaching position, the coach has reportedly continued training students in secret, as revealed by the Orange County Register (OC Register).

According to the newspaper, the coach instructed athletes and their parents not to disclose her ongoing coaching activities to outsiders. She also allegedly attempted to keep her training locations hidden from the media and her accusers, fueling the controversy.

The OC Register reported on the 20th that Kang, a coach suspended by both the U.S. Olympic synchronized swimming team and the La Mirada synchronized swimming team, has been continuing to train students at Fullerton College. This revelation was based on information from three insiders familiar with the situation.

The report highlighted that Kang, considered one of the most influential coaches in U.S. swimming, is under investigation by the independent sports integrity organization, the Center for SafeSport. Over the course of 14 years, Kang allegedly subjected her athletes to physical, verbal, and emotional abuse.

In May, the OC Register previously reported that former and current members of the national synchronized swimming team, as well as athletes from the Aqua Belles team and their parents, had filed formal complaints against Kang with the Center for SafeSport. The complaints detailed over 80 specific allegations of abuse and included accounts from athletes as young as nine years old who had trained under Kang for over a decade to achieve their Olympic aspirations.

The accusations outlined in the complaints include forcing injured or post-surgery athletes to train, causing physical harm during stretching exercises (such as dislocating toes or overextending knees), and other harmful practices. Miranda Marquis, a former Aqua Belles athlete, recounted to the OC Register an incident from 2011 where Kang forced them to swim 50 meters in under 29 seconds. “To achieve that, we had no choice but to swim like a butterfly or hold our breath,” Marquis said.

Kang is also accused of verbally abusing struggling or emotional athletes, frequently calling them derogatory terms such as “stupid,” “idiot,” and “loser.” One parent reported that their daughter refused to eat dinner in the car on the way home out of fear that Kang would discover her eating and reprimand her.

On May 9, Kang was indefinitely suspended by USA Artistic Swimming (USAAS) from her roles as an Olympic and National Team coach. Following the OC Register’s initial report, she was also dismissed from her Aqua Belles coaching position by the City of La Mirada in June. However, the latest report from the OC Register reveals that Kang has continued coaching students by renting facilities at Fullerton College.

When questioned by the OC Register about how long she had been coaching students, Kang reportedly did not respond. Additionally, some parents reportedly intervened to shield Kang from the media.



<Hwang, Eui-kyung>