The father of Olympic 1500m champion Jakob, Gjert Ingebrigtsen, has been charged with physical abuse by Norwegian police.
Last year, Jakob, aged 23, along with his older brothers Henrik, 33, and Filip, 31, who are also Olympic athletes, disclosed that their father, who coached them until 2022, had been abusive. The 58-year-old has vehemently denied these allegations.
Norwegian police, who have been investigating the matter, announced on Monday that Gjert had been charged with one offense.
According to the Norwegian website VG, which first reported the brothers’ story, the alleged victim, who was not one of the three siblings but another younger family member, was supposedly beaten with a wet towel.
The other allegations against Gjert have been dismissed—five due to lack of evidence and one due to time constraints.
Mette Yvonne Larsen, representing five of the Ingebrigtsen children, informed VG that they would appeal against the dismissal of at least one case.
In October, the brothers, who are among seven Ingebrigtsen children, expressed that they still experienced discomfort and fear regarding Gjert and felt compelled to share their story publicly due to significant media attention in Norway concerning their separation from him.
“We have grown up with a father who has been very aggressive and controlling and who has used physical violence and threats as part of his upbringing,” they said.
“We still feel discomfort and fear which has been in us since childhood.
“Two years ago, the same aggression and physical punishment struck again. It was the drop that made the cup run over.”
On Monday, Gjert’s lawyer, John Christian Elden, again maintained his client’s innocence.
“Concerning the dismissed charges, we concur that there is no evidence to suggest that Mr Ingebrigtsen has committed any act punishable by law,” he said in a statement to BBC Sport.
“Moreover, Mr Ingebrigtsen disputes the account of events that form the basis of the indictment and, as such, does not acknowledge any criminal wrongdoing.”