Kabaylo commented on the pedophilia scandal at a Nizhny Novgorod sports school.

      October 4, 2025 10:13 Incidents

      The Minister of Sport of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Dmitry Kabaylo, commented on a high-profile incident at a private boxing school where the coach and club founder is suspected of sexually harassing underage trainees.

      As Kabaylo wrote on his Telegram channel, investigative authorities have already opened a criminal case, and the Ministry of Sport is providing them with all necessary assistance.

      The minister stressed that even without official conclusions from law enforcement, the videos show behavior by the coach that he called absolutely unacceptable. In Kabaylo’s view, the coach’s appearance in those clips alone is sufficient to terminate any working relationship with him.

      "The cases recorded on video took place in a private club. I have said before and continue to believe that the physical culture and sport sector needs additional regulation, and the Ministry of Sport should be endowed with supervisory and oversight powers not only over state and municipal institutions, but also over all private organizations and individual entrepreneurs and self‑employed persons working in physical culture and sport. Especially over those who work with children. This issue is now being raised at the federal level," the official said.

      In addition, the head of the regional Ministry of Sport believes it necessary to introduce mandatory psychological evaluations for all specialists who work with minors. He said that the ministry will certainly put forward such an initiative.

      It should be recalled that the incident received wide publicity in early October, but occurred back in August. One of the boys told his parents that the coach, allegedly drunk, undressed him and attempted to commit lewd acts. The child managed to break free and run away. After that, the parents turned to other coaches for help, and together they began to review archival video recordings from clubs where the suspect had previously worked. On one of the recordings, dated 2023, it can be seen how the coach, allegedly intoxicated, forces another boy to undress and commits acts of a sexual nature against him. The progress of the criminal investigation is under the supervision of the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin.

      Earlier it was reported that Bastrykin requested a report on the progress of the investigation and the justification of expert conclusions in the criminal case related to the violence against a girl in a dormitory in Sormovo in 2023.

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