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Kiev rejects Austria extradition plea for ex-judo champ

Kiev has rejected Austria's request to extradite former Olympic judo champion Peter Seisenbacher, wanted on charges of child sex abuse, Vienna said on Friday.

Published: 7 October 2017 09:18 CEST

Kiev rejects Austria extradition plea for ex-judo champ

Peter Seisenbacher is wanted on charges of child sex abuse. Photo: Helmut Fohringer/AFP

However, Ukrainian authorities have given the 57-year-old Austrian five days to leave the country, Austria's justice ministry said.

“The Austrian embassy in Kiev has informed us that there has been a negative extradition decision and that Mister Seisenbacher has to leave the country by October 12th,” ministry spokeswoman Britta Tichy-Martin told the Austria Press Agency.

The double Olympic champion was arrested in Kiev at Vienna's request on August 1st after seven months on the run.

Seisenbacher was then released in mid-September pending the extradition hearing.

He had been due to face trial in Austria last December over charges that he sexually abused two girls he was coaching in Vienna between the late 1990s and early 2000s.

He allegedly abused one of them from the age of 11, over a three-year period. He was also accused of having attempted to sexually assault a third girl.

Prosecutors in Vienna issued an international warrant for his arrest after he failed to turn up for a court hearing.

Seisenbacher, who won middleweight gold in Los Angeles in 1984 and again in Seoul four years later, then dropped off the map.

There were even rumours he may have committed suicide until he resurfaced in Ukraine earlier this year.

Kiev officials told AFP last month that, according to the country's law, the statute of limitations to prosecute him in Ukraine had expired.

Seisenbacher, who is also a former world and European champion, has always refused to comment on the allegations against him.

Rome rules out using Vatican for Olympic bid

Rome last held the summer Games in 1960. Photo: Valery Hache/AFP

The Italian capital was one of the first of the four cities so far in contention to announce that it would compete. Budapest, Hamburg and Paris are also in the race, while Los Angeles is expected to enter after Boston's embarrassing withdrawal. Toronto is also considering entering.

Giovanni Malago, president of the Italian Olympic Committee (Coni), said the historic Colosseum could be used in the Italian campaign. Rome's mayor, Ignazio Marino, has proposed using the Colosseum for medal ceremonies.

But Malago said the exact role of would only be revealed after the International Olympic Committee deadline for bids closes on September 15th.

Early reports also said an event like archery could be held in St Peter's Square in the Vatican. But Malago ruled this out for religious reasons.

“It would not be right to involve the Vatican in our bid” because of its connection to the Roman Catholic Church, he told a small group of reporters on the sidelines of an International Olympic Committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

The Coni president said Rome wanted all religions involved.

“Islamic, Hebrew, Catholic, they will be co-protagonists” in the Italian campaign, Malago commented.

He also ruled out holding a referendum as some other Olympic candidate cities have.

He said other ways would be used to measure “public opinion” but did not give details.

Malago said the bid would be based on Rome, but that football would be held in six cities across the country and that sailing could be in Sardinia, Naples or Venice on the Adriatic. The decision will be made by the International Sailing Federation.

“We want to be compact as we think this is a plus,” he commented.

Rome was a candidate for the 2020 Games, but the government abandoned the effort because of the country's economic troubles before the event was awarded to Tokyo.

Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut gave backing, meanwhile, for a Toronto campaign for 2024.

“After the enormous success of the Pan-American Games, the time has come for Toronto to go forward,” Aubut told AFP.

Several city leaders have called for Toronto to enter and Aubut said he would work on details when he returns to Canada.

Aubut said he did not think that a legislative election on October 19th would stop Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a conservative, from backing Toronto.

“On the contrary, I have the impression that all the parties are open to the idea. It is difficult to go against young people, against sport and against the city of Toronto,” said the Olympic official.

Canada has organized only one summer Olympics, in Montreal in 1976.

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