Sofia Bekatorou: Olympic champion, survivor of sexual assault and leader of the Greek MeToo movement

11 December 2024

The SUPPORTER celebrates notable women athletes from our partner countries who are role models who made significant contributions to their respective sports and serve as powerful role models, advocating for gender equality in sports.

One such athlete is Sofia Bekatorou, born in Athens in December 1977, is a two-time Olympic medalist, a four-time Olympian and the best Greek female sailor based on her international awards.

She has participated in hundreds of main-class events, winning first place in four world sailing championships.
In the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens, she won the gold medal in the women's double-handed dinghy sailing event in the 470 class with her pair Emilia Tsoufla, followed with a bronze medal in the yngling keelboat class at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Sofia was the first female flag bearer in Greece, at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, participating in the Olympic Games for the 4th time.

She started the MeToo movement in Greece, in December 2020, after revealing in an interview her sexual assault by a high-ranking member of the Hellenic Sailing Federation (HSF).

Ignited by the courage of Sofia Bekatorou to speak out, other female athletes were quick to follow, coming forward with their own experiences of verbal abuse, inappropriate sexual remarks, and gestures from coaches, team doctors, and federation representatives. Since 2021, hundreds of women in Greece have shared their own experiences of sexual harassment and abuse by men in power, leading to widespread public discussions about sexism, power dynamics and the need for systemic change in various sectors including sports, academia and entertainment. The movement has resulted in measures being implemented, aimed at better protecting survivors of sexual violence.

For more than 15 years Sofia has been an executive member of the Hellenic Olympic Committee contributing to the development of Greek sports. In collaboration with the European Anti-Violence Network, she participates in a Task Force Group, which aims to develop better strategies and policies to combat domestic violence in Greece. As a result of this collaboration, the MeNowMeToo (https://menowmetoo.gr/) was launched, a national platform dedicated to raising awareness about sexual harassment in Greece through highlighting personal stories and fostering a supportive community.