Former diver Jan Hempel describes the out-of-court settlement with the German Swimming Association in his abuse case as a “milestone” after “difficult days”. Now he wants to continue working for those affected.
“There were a lot of ups and downs. There were often difficult days recently. But as the saying goes: what takes a long time finally gets good,” Hempel told the ARD morning magazine.
15 months after Hempel in the ARD documentary “Abused” After speaking for the first time about his ordeal, both sides agreed on Monday (October 23, 2023) on a compensation payment totaling 600,000 euros. In doing so, they avoided a legal dispute that would last for years.
“Took a glass and toasted”
He has with his family “took a glass and toasted”, Hempel said of his first reaction to the agreement: “We are very relieved that there is now more calm and we can focus on other things again.”
The settlement guarantees Hempel, who also made Alzheimer’s disease public in the summer of 2022 when describing his ordeal, an immediate payment of 300,000 euros and a payment of the same amount in monthly installments over ten years. This will also be paid to the surviving dependents in the event of Hempel’s death.
The 52-year-old described the agreement with the DSV as “Milestone that will be followed by others”. Hempel announced that he wanted to stand up for other victims and called for the abolition of the statute of limitations in cases of sexual abuse: “This deadline needs to be put to the test.”
“Buschkow case” continues to concern Hempel
Hempel himself only found the strength to talk about his ordeal 25 years after the last attacks. According to him, his then trainer Werner Langer sexually abused him over a period of 14 years. In Hempel’s case, the DSV decided not to invoke the statute of limitations.
According to Hempel, he is not yet able to completely complete the processes within the DSV that he initiated. He referred to the ongoing labor law process between the association and Lutz Buschkow. Hempel had accused the former national diving coach of having subsequently found out about his years of abuse at the end of the 1990s, but of having done nothing significant about it. Buschkow denies this. The DSV nevertheless terminated him without notice in mid-October 2022, which Buschkow sued. The hearing will continue at the Halle/Saale Labor Court in February 2024.
“When this negotiation is concluded, another stone in my life will have been removed. I hope that this will be over at some point. Then I will be able to sleep more peacefully again,” Hempel said.