IOC Yet to Address Growing Gilady Accusations

(ATR) More women are sharing stories of sexual assault by IOC member Alex Gilady.

So far no action has been taken against Gilady by the IOC. The IOC Executive Board will not meet today, Around the Rings understands, and it is unclear if or when any action would come.

An IOC spokesperson told ATRin a statement that "The Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer is currently looking into the situation and will report to the IOC Ethics Commission".

This weekend two Israeli journalists shared stories of impropriety by Gilady during the 1990's. The allegations are part of a recent groundswell of stories being told by female professionals exposing sexual harassment in many industries.

Three more women have now come forward to speak about assaults by Gilady. The women tell the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that Gilady raped them after getting them alone under the guise of discussing professional opportunities. The stories range from the 1970's to the 1990's.

Neri Livneh, a columnist for Haaretz, first spoke out against Gilady saying he exposed himself to her in a meeting in 1999. Livneh said that Gilady set up a business meeting at a café that transitioned into a meeting in his house.

Gilady did not deny the entire story by Livneh, and said that "what grownups do in their lives, in their private homes as part of a private relationship, is their own business."

Three days prior, journalist Oshrat Kotler said Gilady made an "indecent proposition" to her. She says Gilady had asked to have dinner and then return to his home for the evening following a job interview for Keshet, the television company founded and operated by Gilady from 1993-1999.

Kotler reportedly told Gilady she was married and she alleges he responded by saying: "What has that got to do with it? Don’t you know how they get ahead in television in Hollywood?"

Gilady has since resigned as President of Keshet, the television network he runs in Israel, through a statement after the second batch of stories against him. He says that he will "fight to prove [his] innocence," and considered the claims against him libelous. Gilady served as a vice president of NBC in the 1980's and 1990's.

"I repeat and stress that these claims are not correct and I will take the necessary legal steps against these false accusations," Gilady said in his statement.

Gilady the IOC member from Israel being elected to the body in 1994. He serves on three IOC Commissions: Communications, Public Affairs and Social Development through Sport, and the Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission. Gilady also serves on the board of directors for Olympic Channel Services.

IOC Commissions are meeting this week in Lausanne, meaning Gilady is in the Olympic city. The IOC Executive Board met yesterday to suspend member Frank Fredericks after he was charged by French authorities. It is unclear if the Executive Board will meet again to discuss the growing stories against Gilady in the future.

Written by Aaron Bauer and Kevin Nutley

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