Ice dancer Sorensen exits Canadian championship amid sexual assault allegations

Canadian ice dancing champion Nikolaj Sorensen, who is under investigation for alleged sexual assault, and his skating partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry have withdrawn from this week’s Canadian figure skating championships in Calgary. USA Today reported last week that Canada’s Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) is investigating Sorensen over an alleged 2012 sexual assault of an American figure skating coach and former skater in Hartford, Conn.

The allegation has not been tested in court. Sorensen denied the allegation in an Instagram post Tuesday, but said he and Fournier were withdrawing from the championship because they believed their participation would be a distraction. In a separate Instagram post, Fournier called Sorensen a man of integrity, respect, and kindness.

Sorensen and Beaudry, based in Montreal, are the reigning national ice dance champions and placed ninth in the 2022 Olympic Games. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2024..