Stefan Lurz: Investigations against ex-swimming national coach initiated

 The  Würzburg public prosecutor’s office is investigating the resigned open water national trainer Stefan Lurz on charges of sexual abuse of wards.  The  proceedings were initiated ex officio after the SPIEGEL report, said Chief Public Prosecutor Thorsten Seebach, “for us these are new allegations.” He could not say anything about the possible number of those affected. It is about possible incidents in the context of Lurz’s work as a trainer. At first he was not available for comment.

In its current issue, SPIEGEL reported on allegations of sexual violence against the swimming coach. Accordingly, he is said to have coerced and harassed female athletes for years.

 The  allegations are sexual assault, psychological manipulation and bullying. Lurz denies the allegations (read more about the allegations in SPIEGEL).

Although there were many indications, he was allowed to go on for a long time. Only after a SPIEGEL inquiry about the allegations was Lurz, according to a statement from the association, “on leave until further notice.” Now the resignation followed. On Friday, the national coach announced his resignation, as the German Swimming Association (DSV) announced.

 The  public prosecutor’s office had already investigated the now 43-year-old in 2010 on suspicion of rape and sexual abuse of wards. Lurz denied the allegations. At that time, however, the proceedings were discontinued against payment, said Seebach, who himself only spoke of Stefan L. Before that, there was a private offender-victim compensation.

Another case against the trainer on leave due to insult and sexual coercion was discontinued in 2019 due to the statute of limitations.

He had told the Main Post that he had resigned himself from his post “in order to avert further damage to the image of the German Swimming Association.” Until recently, Lurz trained the next generation of medals at the federal base in Würzburg. His swimmers have been successful at world and European championships and have won two medals at the Olympics.