IOC officials plan changes to protect workers

RIO DE JANEIRO — An Olympic official in charge of protecting athletes from sexual assaults said Saturday that the Games' governing body will make changes to protect all workers in future Games.

Susan Greinig, the medical and scientific program manager for the International Olympic Committee, said that two cases of athletes charged with sexually assaulting maids in the athletes' village in the first days of the 2016 Games highlighted the vulnerable situation those workers can find themselves in.

"Those events have brought to our attention the idea that a difference in power can lead to abuse of power," she said, referring to the disparity between famous Olympic athletes and largely anonymous staff members. "We can't make changes halfway through the Games. But we can't think only of the athletes. We're going to have to analyze the full spectrum of accredited people involved in the Games."

Before the Olympics even got underway, Moroccan boxer Hassan Saada was arrested on charges he assaulted two housekeepers in the athletes' village. The maids say he cornered them, pinned one against the wall, grabbed both of them inappropriately and offered them money for a sexual act. He was released from a Brazilian prison on Wednesday but had to turn in his passport and remain in Brazil until his case is resolved.

Shortly afterward, Brazilian police arrested Namibian boxer Jonas Junius, the country's flag-bearer during the opening ceremony, on similar charges. A maid claimed Junius grabbed her and attempted to kiss her. He was charged with sexual assault and is being held in a Rio prison complex.

Grenig, serving as the Games' welfare officer fielding all complaints of sexual assault, said the IOC took several steps in 2016 to protect athletes from sexual assault and harassment. Officials created a phone line and an email address to report crimes anonymously, installed that information on cell phones given to all athletes in Rio and blanketed it on posters throughout the athletes' village.

But Greinig said that information was not passed on to the hundreds of mostly Brazilian workers who keep the sprawling complex running.

Several maids told Paste BN that they are regularly required to clean up rooms while the athletes are still inside. They don't speak the same language and the maids rarely have any supervisors around, leaving them fearful of unwanted advances.

Greinig said most of those maids work for contractors hired by the IOC, meaning Olympic officials have little direct access to them.

"They're pretty far removed from us reaching them," she said. "We have to figure out how to reach that population."