An exclusive interview to Lydia Spanou
English adaptation Eva Metis Koutoumanou
If the Greek MeToo could be represented with two eyes then the big brown eyes of Sofia Bekatorou would be the symbol of it. Those eyes with the grief in them, didn’t hesitate to look in the eye millions of people and narrate their story urging them to tell theirs. .
To open their souls and reveal the moments that they have been hiding almost to oblivion. And the whole Greece got to witness a series of accusations about rapes, harassments, abuses. Sofia Bekatorou’s accusations raised a tsounami and the Olympic Gold Medalist in sailing made history as the woman who ignited people to start talking, revealing the dark sides of our society
The appointment with Sofia Bekatorou took place in a container that she uses as a base where she stores her athletic gear at the Olympic Marina of Agios Kosmas. Before our meeting, as a good hostess, she asked me if I wanted her to bring me coffee and when we met the awe in front of the top sailing athlete was competing the awe for her decision to speak about all the traumatic things she lived in a hotel in Palma de Mallorca. It was the night that normally she should remember because she qualified for the Olympic Games of Sydney. But that night marked her life for ever.
Since then, the sands of time passed… Almost a month ago, during a Conference organised by the Deputy Minister of Sports, Lefteris Avgenakis, she reported her rape by an agent of the Hellenic Sailing Federation and her decision to speak marked the beginning of the Greek MeToo. Dozens of similar reports followed from various places and there are already two pre-trial detentions.
Sofia after your accusations, other accusations followed. And we actually expect changes to the legal framework. Do you know something about that?
«One of the things that are moving forward is the part of the changes to the criminal code. This is a part that needs attention not only because the sentences must be stricter but also because the limitation period should not be that small. Especially for seduction, that is three months, a time frame during which the victims do not have enough time to realise what has happened to them.»
Among the accusations that have socked us are also those involving child raping. The first one that came to light was made by you and involved an underage athlete…
«I would like to remark especially the cases of underage victims. In those cases the law must be even stricter with the offenders. Also, the reporting procedure should be more protective so the victim would not have to describe again and again the incident because with each time it becomes more traumatic. You cannot go back to your normal life.
All this holds you back. So what our society and Greece have to do is to change the law, the legislation. Also, there should be clear frameworks and codes of conduct and behaviour so that we can all know what and how we must behave. We don’t want to restrict flirting, love or relationships. What we want is to eliminate the abuse of power in every domain. Someone should not, by using their capacity, force the other person to accept any kind of behaviour that the person doesn’t accept because it is not in accordance with his or her wishes.»
What changed in your life from the moment that you made the accusation?
«What changed was that I realised how many victims there are in our society and how many people have suffered abusive behaviours and have been forced to live with it for many years. I realised how big the stigma is in our society and especially of the people who silence and cover that kind of abusive behaviours and support the offender either unintentionally or intentionally with result the victim to be criminalised and to enter in a very different process with itself. The abuse apart from the incident itself has as a result for the victim to relive it many times and to disgrace itself moving on in its life. The victim has extreme behaviours, eating disorders and suicidal behaviours. You neither forget it nor move on. The victim, on one hand, usually, pushes it back, but on the other hand, because it has been experienced, it is not easy to have a normal behaviour like a person who has not experienced something like that. So, it turns against itself, at an unexpected time, with different behaviours.»
After your report we could say that you are the Ambassador of MeTooGR. Do you feel the burden that such a title carries?
«It is something very positive that is happening in our country because the people enter the process to claim their rights. Of course, I feel that I have certain obligations but they do not burden me. I was interested in my life to contribute somehow to the society and the movement MeToo showed me a way very constructive that made me feel that I contribute and that I am useful. So in this way, I cannot say that it burdens me. Up to now there was no specific framework in which I could move so I am trying to see where I can be of use. This is one thing, the second- and very important- is that I am trying to unite my voice with the voices of the others to highlight our institutions which we must respect, make good use of and support. Me, I first addressed the issue to the justice. I didn’t go to the media to report it.
I know that I should start from the justice, because justice will bring results to the society as a whole. So what I think is that we should see how the institutions can work so they can respond to the needs of our society today. To change some stereotypes, some boundaries must change accordingly in relation to the past. For example, the previous generations normalised those behaviours. They were saying “it’s ok, better not say anything in order not to be ridiculed and stigmatised.” In 2021, we say that things have changed and we want to move towards the direction of equality between the two sexes but we have a lot of steps to make for that. We have to act in a different way. And accordingly, our institutions must project that and prevent those types of behaviour.»
The Greek Government supported the movement MeToo from the first moment that you made the accusations.
«That is very important. I think that the Greek Government and the entire political world accepted and embraced that move. For me it was symbolic as symbolic it was also for all the people, for all the victims that want to report such types of behaviour. So in this way, it seems that the movement MeToo will manage to be established in our country and continue to exist in order to help the victims.»
The General Secretariat of Sports with the Deputy Minister of Sports, Lefteris Avgenakis, heading it announced a series of initiatives. What is your opinion?
«It involves 13 initiatives that will have immediate effect in sports in order to trace, battle and eliminate sexual violence and abuse but also handle cases of misgovernment, mismanagement etc. I believe that it is a very good opportunity and they will help to put an order in the athletic movement, the athletes’ register, the coaches’ register etc. All this should have happened many years ago. Like for example to have a sports psychologist while there will also be a training program for agents.»
The world though does not forget that you are still an active athlete since you do not take the decision to stay away from your beloved “track”, the sea. What are your future athletic plans?
«The next months, I will take part with a foreign team in some races abroad. We also have the «Star Sailors League Gold Cup», an event that draws inspiration from the athletic events of the Football World Cup and the tennis tournaments of ATP, and that is scheduling its maiden race for 2022 (10 April-10 June) in Switzerland. 56 crews will participate, one from each country, and I will be the leader of the Greek team and the only female leader in this event. The Greek team is named «Argonauts» and we plan to participate in races in Greece too in order to be prepared. For the moment, however, we cannot train because in Greece it is not allowed to have ten people on a boat. In the summer, there will be a big race of 600 nautical miles in the Aegean, the «Aegean 600». It will take place in July and it will be 600 miles non-stop. There will be a lot of international participations and we would like to take part too. Everything though will be judged by the progress of the pandemic.»
During the interview, Sofia Bekatorou’s phone rang many times. Female organisations, institutions etc. wanted her to speak at various events. And the Olympic Gold Medalist always willing to help. With Covid-19 putting its own obstacles, she tries to divide her time, which never is enough. Mother of two remarkable children, champion and now a new role that brings her close to the people who need her. To people in whose eyes – and souls – there is something similar to her own melancholy. Still, she manages everything because once a lady captain, always a lady captain.
Watch Sofia's Bekatorou message for the International Women's Day.
Sofia Bekatorou greeting Greek Diaspora
