1 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: From the Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Claire Harvey. 2 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:14,800 Speaker 1: It's Monday, December sixteenth. China's economy is in a slump 3 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: and that's bad news for Australia. With Jim Chalmers to 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: reveal in Wednesday's midyear budget update, mining exports are down 5 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: by one hundred billion dollars and company tax revenue has 6 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 1: slumped more than eight billion. That exclusive is live right 7 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: now at the Australian dot com dot Au. Olympic styles, 8 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: including gold medalists Nina Kennedy and Steve Hooker, claim their 9 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: allegations of abuse by superstar pole vaulting coach Alex Paranov 10 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:51,159 Speaker 1: were not properly investigated by sporting authorities. Today the athletes 11 00:00:51,200 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 1: who say they won't be silent anymore, the stadium will erupted. 12 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,759 Speaker 1: At the twenty twenty four Paris Olympics, pole vaulter Nina 13 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:16,680 Speaker 1: Kennedy captivated Australia's imagination. 14 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 2: Yes, oh yes, oh yes, wow. Oh it's just such 15 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:32,400 Speaker 2: an incredible moment. Well here she use Australia your new 16 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 2: Golden Girl. 17 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: Hello everyone, wake up. 18 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 2: I think we're awake. I think we're awake, But are 19 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:43,119 Speaker 2: you or are you dreaming. I'm not, I'm here, I'm 20 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 2: a gold medalist. 21 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 1: That is so sick. Jessica Hallern is the Australian's chief 22 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: sports writer and she was in Paris when Kennedy jumped 23 00:01:54,720 --> 00:02:00,080 Speaker 1: four point nine meters that's just over sixteen feet, about 24 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: the height of a giraffe. 25 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 2: This sport is insane. It's actually really dangerous. I think 26 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 2: the statistics are that at least one person dies a 27 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 2: year from competing in this sport. To do it, you 28 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 2: have to be completely and utterly mentally focused. And she 29 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 2: is brave, and she is gritty, and she is strong, 30 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 2: and she is one of the greatest athletic competitors we've 31 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 2: ever had. And so that night was a huge moment 32 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 2: in Australian sport. We've had an incredible run when it 33 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 2: comes to Powell Wolters. The previous Olympic champion was Steve Hooker, 34 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:39,519 Speaker 2: and both Nina and Steve Hooker at one point in 35 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:41,959 Speaker 2: their lives shared the same coach, and that coach is 36 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 2: Alex Parnov. 37 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 1: On Saturday, subscribers to the Australian dot com dot au 38 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: saw a video of Alex Parov, a middle aged man 39 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: and Nina Kennedy, then aged about nineteen, standing by a 40 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 1: sports field as other athletes train in the background. It's 41 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: a World Junior competition back in twenty sixteen. Paranov raises 42 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: his hand to Nana Kennedy's shoulder and pats her on 43 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 1: the back, and then he runs his hand down, lingering 44 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:15,800 Speaker 1: on her buttocks. 45 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 2: That video was specifically taken to capture another pole vaulter 46 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:23,959 Speaker 2: in action, but what it did at the same time 47 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 2: it caught Alex Paranov inappropriately touching Nana Kennedy and that 48 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 2: became the center of a complaint in twenty sixteen by 49 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 2: coach Paul Burgess, who was an amazing pop vultary himself. 50 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 2: He jumped over the magic six meter mark he competed 51 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 2: at the Olympics in two thousand and eight, and he 52 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 2: saw red on that He knew it was wrong, and 53 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 2: for some time he had suspected that Alex was behaving inappropriately. 54 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: Back then, Parov was working for the West Straight Institute 55 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: of Sport, that's part of the network of elite government 56 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: funded sporting academies that had a lot to do with 57 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: Australia's success in Olympic sports. Paul Burgess went to the 58 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 1: WAIS with his concerns. 59 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 2: Alex Panov just got off with a warning. Nothing was done. 60 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 1: Paranov was a big deal in the world of pole vaulting. 61 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: Since coaching Tatiana Grigoryeva to Silva at the two thousand 62 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: Sydney Olympics, He'd become an integral of Australia's success in 63 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:30,720 Speaker 1: the sport. 64 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:36,239 Speaker 2: He was regarded as the best technical pole vault coach 65 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 2: in the world. 66 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: In twenty nineteen, Alex Paranov suddenly left his job as 67 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: head of the pole vault program at the WAIS, and 68 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: at the time the institute didn't explain exactly what had happened. 69 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: It just said Paranov had breached his employment contract and 70 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: that allegations against him had been proven, but it didn't 71 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 1: say what they were. What discovered as she started following 72 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: the thread of this story she's reported with our colleague 73 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: Stephen Rice, was that numerous athletes had been complaining, including 74 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: Steve Hooker and Nina Kennedy. 75 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 2: What we can see from documents was that Nina Kennedy 76 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 2: was raising Alex Parnov's inappropriate behavior and that came to 77 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 2: a head in twenty nineteen when finally an investigation was 78 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 2: commissioned into Alex Parnov's behavior. 79 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 1: But the investigation was as mysterious as the outcome. Several 80 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 1: athletes said they weren't even approached to talk. 81 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:42,840 Speaker 2: Olympic gold medalist Steve Hooker said he complained and complained 82 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 2: about not only Alex taking a slice of his earnings, 83 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 2: which was against the rules, but he also said he 84 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 2: was witnessed to inappropriate behavior and had a number of 85 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:56,719 Speaker 2: women confide in him that they were inappropriately touched by Alex. 86 00:05:57,080 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 2: But when he got his witness statement back, he was 87 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 2: a star to see that the weight was put on 88 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 2: the financial aspect of his complaint and that complaints around 89 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 2: the women were really diminished. That is his account of 90 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 2: what he believed was inappropriate behavior by Alex Parnov. The 91 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:21,840 Speaker 2: official WAIS press release said that he had stood down 92 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:26,839 Speaker 2: for inappropriate behavior. But this was very confusing to everybody 93 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,800 Speaker 2: in twenty nineteen because what was it. Was it the 94 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 2: financial skimming of their paychecks or was it the inappropriate 95 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 2: touching as some have alleged. The investigators didn't get the 96 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:42,919 Speaker 2: chance to interview Alex Panov because he resigned. Nothing was 97 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 2: made public about why Alex Panov left ways and that 98 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:51,160 Speaker 2: still angered people, especially Paul Burgess. Now in this time, 99 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,040 Speaker 2: when Alex leaves, Paul Burgess then steps up and becomes 100 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:56,360 Speaker 2: the coach of Nina Kennedy and he starts to lead 101 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 2: her on this incredible trajectory to success. At the same time, 102 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 2: he's really starting to fight with some demons where he 103 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 2: feels like the West Australian Institute of Sport really should 104 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 2: have done more to protect the athletes, but also to 105 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:12,680 Speaker 2: hold Alex Paranov to public account. 106 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: Kennedy told Jesson Ricey she believes the WAIS failed to 107 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 1: bring to light the seriousness of the alleged misconduct, and 108 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 1: she said there weren't adequate repercussions for Parov. She said, 109 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 1: I don't believe the leadership board had the best interests 110 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 1: of my well being at heart. The Australian has repeatedly 111 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 1: asked Alex Paranov to respond to the allegations, but no 112 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: response has been forthcoming. Coming up the Instagram star speaking 113 00:07:43,160 --> 00:08:02,640 Speaker 1: up for the first time live at Theaustralian dot com 114 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: dot au right now is the story of amanned up Bisk. 115 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 1: She's a fitness trainer and exercise physiologist on Instagram, she's 116 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: got six hundred and thirty five thousand followers. But what 117 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 1: many of them don't know is that bisc used to 118 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: be a promising pole vaulter with Olympic dreams. She alluded 119 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: to this just recently in a video about confronting her fears. 120 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:32,920 Speaker 3: For years, I was scared to get back into pop vaulting. 121 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 3: I told myself it's been too long. I was too old, 122 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 3: that I didn't belong anymore. 123 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:41,720 Speaker 2: She competed at the Dalcomwealth Games and she was on 124 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,679 Speaker 2: her way to compete in London. But what she tells 125 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:48,119 Speaker 2: us today was that she was subjected to an awful 126 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 2: assault at the hands of Alex Paranov. As well as 127 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:55,880 Speaker 2: the usual inappropriate touching, the inappropriate comments about her body, 128 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 2: she also suffered a horrendous eating disorder where she was 129 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:03,719 Speaker 2: to lose weight. And she stands at one hundred and 130 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 2: seventy eight centimeters and at one stage she was forty 131 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 2: eight kilos. It's just extraordinary. So she talks about this 132 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 2: just mentally breaking down over the course of her career 133 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,720 Speaker 2: and feeling like she was left really broken. 134 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: Did she attempt to complain to any authorities about him? 135 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:25,839 Speaker 2: No, she never has. And when I spoke to her, 136 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:29,000 Speaker 2: she said, if you had have called me last week, 137 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 2: I would not have been able to tell my story. 138 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 2: And it was only when she read the Weekend Australian's story, 139 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:40,520 Speaker 2: where we had seven on the record statements or full 140 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:43,560 Speaker 2: accounts of what these women had gone through when they 141 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:47,120 Speaker 2: were coached by Alex Panov and the devastating effect it 142 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:50,679 Speaker 2: had on them that it's only when she read that 143 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 2: she felt like she had the strength to tell her story. 144 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 2: And as she said to me, I hadn't told a soul, 145 00:09:55,840 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 2: not even my mom or my partner until now. 146 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 3: I'm doing something I love again and the fear has 147 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 3: now turned into passion. If there's something you've been putting off, 148 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 3: just start. I promise showing up for yourself is always 149 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:10,120 Speaker 3: worth it. 150 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: The allegations against Paranov include sexually touching young athletes, inviting 151 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 1: them to his hotel room where he'd be wearing nothing 152 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: but a towel, asking to get into bed with them. 153 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 1: All this from someone they'd worked with since adolescence. A 154 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 1: lot of them have used the word groomed. A lot 155 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:37,320 Speaker 1: of them tell stories about him telling them that he's. 156 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:40,560 Speaker 2: In love with them. Some people say, to me, it 157 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:42,559 Speaker 2: all feels a bit innocuous at the time, but when 158 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 2: you've put it all together and then you find yourself 159 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:46,439 Speaker 2: in a situation where you're in a hotel room alone 160 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 2: with him, or apartment alone with him, and he's propositioning you. Yeah, 161 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:53,440 Speaker 2: a lot of them have broken down as they've told 162 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 2: their stories. 163 00:10:56,200 --> 00:11:02,160 Speaker 1: Parnov also allegedly obsessively critiqued their weight, demanding constant skinfold 164 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:03,600 Speaker 1: tests and ways. 165 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:07,360 Speaker 2: Aaron Boxel, who was an athlete in his squad in 166 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:09,920 Speaker 2: the early two thousand, says she still suffers a needing 167 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:12,280 Speaker 2: disorder to this day. There seems to be a lot 168 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:15,680 Speaker 2: of obsession around that. He would often walk up to 169 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 2: them and grab their stomachs and say, you're too fat. 170 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:22,840 Speaker 2: We're talking athletes that weigh sixty kilos and instructed to 171 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:25,839 Speaker 2: lose ten kilos, and so they would. I don't think 172 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:30,199 Speaker 2: any woman was missed in that training squad, the skin folds, constantly, 173 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:34,400 Speaker 2: being told to weigh themselves every single day to tell 174 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 2: him how much they weigh in return, and he would 175 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 2: say whether that was okay or not. Where is alex 176 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:45,800 Speaker 2: Panov now? Alex Panov is in Russia, We've attempted to 177 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:48,679 Speaker 2: contact him a number of times and we've heard nothing back. 178 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:51,200 Speaker 2: We know he has been back in the country in 179 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:55,439 Speaker 2: recent times. We know he has met with former Western 180 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 2: Australian Institute of Sport leaders in that time, just sharing 181 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 2: a friendly coffee, and that has deeply outset a number 182 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:02,280 Speaker 2: of people. 183 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:07,719 Speaker 1: In twenty twenty three, NTA Kennedy and Paul Burgess went 184 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:11,440 Speaker 1: back to the WAIS and asked again for a public 185 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:15,800 Speaker 1: explanation about what had happened with Parnov, and after Jess 186 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,560 Speaker 1: and Rice's story was published on Saturday, Athletics Australia released 187 00:12:19,559 --> 00:12:22,920 Speaker 1: a statement acknowledging The Australian's reports of what it described 188 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:28,240 Speaker 1: as totally unacceptable and deeply distressing behavior, and asking anyone 189 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:34,679 Speaker 1: with information to come forward. Jess, you've spent a lot 190 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:39,439 Speaker 1: of years reporting about oversight and governance in sport. There 191 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: seems to be a theme that it's lacking. What's your 192 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 1: take on the way authorities responded to these allegations. 193 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:53,600 Speaker 2: I think that these organizations have in the past pushed 194 00:12:54,520 --> 00:13:00,680 Speaker 2: to keep these incidents secret. I think they didn't want 195 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:03,199 Speaker 2: any of this out there. I think it's a really 196 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:04,320 Speaker 2: big problem for them now. 197 00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:14,959 Speaker 1: You can read this investigation by Jessica Hallerin and Stephen 198 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:18,319 Speaker 1: Rice right now at the Australian dot com dot au