Skate Canada has suspended ice dancer Nikolaj Sorensen for at least six years following allegations of "sexual maltreatment." Sorensen, along with his partner Laurence Fournier-Beaudry, performed their routine during the senior dance free program at the National Skating Championships in Ottawa on January 8, 2022. The decision comes after an investigation into the misconduct allegations.
Canadian figure skater Nikolaj Sorensen has been suspended for a minimum of six years due to allegations of sexual misconduct. This decision was announced on Wednesday by the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC), a regulatory body focused on maintaining the integrity of sports in Canada.
Sorensen’s suspension is listed on the Abuse-Free Sport registry, a database tracking sanctions and disciplinary actions related to sports misconduct. The suspension may be contested or appealed through official channels. Skate Canada, the governing body for figure skating in the country, has acknowledged the decision and confirmed it will take appropriate actions in compliance with the ruling.
The suspension stems from an OSIC investigation into a claim made by an American figure skating coach and former skater. The alleged incident, according to the report, took place in Hartford, Connecticut, in 2012. Sorensen, however, has denied the allegations, and the claims have not yet been proven in court.
Despite the serious nature of the accusation, Sorensen, alongside his skating partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry, continued competing last season. The allegation first surfaced in early January through a USA Today article. In January, Sorensen and Beaudry withdrew from the Canadian figure skating championships held in Calgary. However, by March, the pair were back on the ice, competing in the World Championships in Montreal, where they secured a ninth-place finish. They also won a silver medal in the Four Continents event in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Sorensen, now 35 years old, originally competed for Denmark, his country of birth. However, he switched his competitive allegiance to Canada after his partner, Beaudry, who hails from Montreal, was unable to secure Danish citizenship before the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Together, Sorensen and Beaudry won the Canadian national ice dance title in 2023 at the championships held in Oshawa, Ontario, and represented Canada at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The OSIC was established in June 2022 to manage and investigate complaints regarding national-level athletes in Canadian sports organizations that are signatories to the program. The creation of the body followed a series of abuse scandals in Canadian sports, particularly involving Hockey Canada. OSIC was introduced as an independent mechanism to handle complaints of this nature and ensure accountability within Canadian athletics.
Since August 2023, OSIC has issued eight suspensions, with Sorensen being the sixth to involve sexual misconduct. Notably, Tyler Myles, another member of Skate Canada, was permanently banned for several violations, including sexual misconduct and physical maltreatment. Myles’ case is currently being contested, with questions raised regarding the applicability of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS).
In light of Sorensen’s suspension, Skate Canada is expected to issue further statements and clarify the future of his competitive career.
