Hungarian swimmer Tamas Kenderesi who is competing in the FINA world championships in Gwangju was sent to prosecutors Monday on charges of groping a teenager.
On Sunday, cops from the Gwangju Seobu Station arrested the 22-year-old swimmer on suspicion of groping an 18-year-old woman at a club at around 3 a.m. Police said he initially denied all the allegations during questioning, but later admitted to the accusation.
Gwangju Seobu Police Station (Yonhap)
In an online statement, Kenderesi offered a partial apology, “I touched the buttocks of a Korean dancer working (at a nightclub). ... I made a single -- perhaps reckless -- gesture that made her seriously angry and she filed a complaint against me. I do not think I have committed any serious offense, but I must understand that I have violated certain moral standards.”
The police barred Kenderesi from leaving the country for the course of the investigation.
A Gwangju police official told The Korea Herald that Kenderesi asked police if he could be allowed to return to his country by paying an estimated fine in advance to the court.
The police did not disclose his nationality for protecting his privacy, but local media identified him as a bronze medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The Hungarian swimming federation, said in a statement that “the athlete is innocent until proven guilty” and is working with the Hungarian Embassy “to clarify the allegations.”
(
arin@heraldcorp.com)
