translated from Spanish: Bravely, Paloma Giordano, recounted that she was abused by a teammate of the National Team

Paloma Giordano is 16 years old and is a promise of nautical skiing in our country. This week she dared to publicly tell that she was abused by a teammate. It was on July 14 last year, while they were at a championship in Santa Rosa Beach, in the United States.On the advice of his lawyer, Paloma did not give the name of his assailant, but he did see his situation. It was Saturday. everyone was taking advantage of the day outdoors… they were in the water and all of a sudden all her classmates left because they had things to do (like going to the supermarket or going back to the house) and she stayed. This man too.” At one point I found myself alone with him. Which was not bad, because since I stayed with it I could have stayed with anyone and there is no problem at all. But she started asking me questions about my life, if I was in a couple, if I had a boyfriend,” began her heartbreaking account in dialogue with Clarín.” He also told me that his girlfriend was making jealous scenes for me, which I didn’t even find sense. Even since I didn’t know how to take it, I didn’t give it any importance. Then he asked me if the look said anything to me, which I didn’t know what to say to him and I didn’t even answer him. And there he threw himself into the water, grabbed me and started the whole thing of violence,” he continued in tears. “After that happened (the abuse) and I managed to leave, I didn’t know what to do, I was shaking everything, I had tachycardia. What had happened and less of a person so close didn’t come into me, literally for me it was a brother, a person to follow, I had it as an example. I dropped the world, literally,” he adds.
The days that followed her sexual abuse were no easier, because the dish, which was preparing for the IWWF Junior World Championship, was one week longer in the same place as her assailant. “It was hard having to throw myself in the water the next day for this to happen. It was a while past and I was crying because I couldn’t do it anymore, I didn’t sleep and I was very afraid. I had a terrible time. I didn’t even want to be there, where he was. It was horrible to have to keep crossing it,” he says.
When he came back, he started psychological treatment. After a long time and much therapy he found a way to tell his truth.” Not many people found out. I was afraid, ashamed, it’s very humiliating to count. I was also afraid I’d be excluded from the team. At the moment I didn’t know how to react and more and more violence began. And also because of how society is run, which asks you the same question: ‘why did you stay with him.’ But then I realize that I didn’t really have to leave next to a person I trusted so much. It’s hard to accept that…”, he reflects. This situation, in addition to generating anxiety attacks, changed her daily life, no longer wanted to be left alone at home for example, and her interaction with men. “I struggled to talk to the men in my family because I felt a rejection. For a while I was disgusted by men, until I had a family member close to me, whoever was. I didn’t want to be with anyone,” she says. Finally, Paloma adds that despite the pain he will continue with his passion for nautical skiing: “I don’t know how but I do it because I don’t want to leave it. I’m adapting to keep training with that pain. At that moment it cost me so much that I didn’t want to throw myself in the water but I keep doing it because skiing is my life, it’s the only thing I know how to do and I want to get on with it,” he concluded.

Paloma Giordano publication

His lawyer Carlos Kovalink added that Paloma did not appear to the U.S. Justice and in Argentina there is no complaint “for incompetence on the grounds of the territory”.

Original source in Spanish

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