Police on Vancouver Island are investigating disturbing allegations after as many as 30 teenage girls claimed they were groped by male athletes during a dance at the B.C. Summer Games last weekend.
Around 1,500 young people were in attendance at the event on Saturday at Cowichan Exhibition Park in the Cowichan Valley, B.C, according to Kelly Mann, president and CEO of the B.C. Games Society.
“During the dance, some girls were coming off the dance floor with their hands raised, running towards coaches and volunteers, saying ‘somebody touched me’,” Mann told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. “When that started to happen, the volunteers intervened, stopped the dance and began to talk to the girls.”
Teens taking part in the games range in ages between 13 and 17. Six boys are allegedly involved, according to the B.C. Games Society.
Mann said volunteers took swift action and called a halt to the event once it became apparent a number of the girls were uncomfortable.
“It took a while to get all the girls together. Some had experienced the same thing and left without saying anything immediately,” he added. “Once we pieced together what happened, the RCMP were brought into it and they’ve opened an investigation into it.”
Mann said he has been in touch with some of the parents and that the organization has taken steps to open correspondence with all the families of those involved.
“I’ve spoken to a few (parents). They’re appreciative of the focus we’re placing on the girls and making sure they feel supported,” he said. “Today they’ll receive a letter from me explaining what we’re doing, how we got to these steps and what our next steps are. And also some information about how they can provide support to their daughters, either through us or through their own communities.”
Mann said the B.C. Games Society will take steps to ensure those responsible will not take part in future events.
“Certainly if we’re able to determine names of individuals, then we’ll take measures to make sure they’ll never darken our door again,” he said.
