SYDNEY
\nAustralia\u2019s former track world champion Jana Pittman has said she was kissed by a coach during her athletics career, a revelation that echoes the scandal engulfing Spanish football. Prosecutors in Spain are investigating Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales after he kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the medal ceremony of the Women\u2019s World Cup final.
\nRubiales\u2019s kiss has sparked a massive backlash, but he has so far refused to resign, despite being asked to by the Spanish football federation.
\nPittman, the 2003 and 2007 women\u2019s world 400 metres hurdles champion, said Rubiales\u2019s kiss triggered memories from her time in elite athletics and showed how times have changed.
\n\u201cI have been kissed inappropriately by a coach, not mine, an international coach where it was a cultural norm in that setting,\u201d Pittman, now 40, told a talk show for Australian broadcaster ABC.
\n\u201cAnd I didn\u2019t really think anything of it until I witnessed this on television.\u201d
\nAt present 81 Spanish players, including Hermoso, are on strike until the leadership changes at Spain\u2019s football federation.
\nHermoso has said the incident left her feeling \u201cvulnerable and like the victim of an assault\u201d.
\nSpanish football great Andres Iniesta has said the World Cup triumph of the women\u2019s team has been \u201ctarnished\u201d by Rubiales\u2019s behaviour.
\nPittman did not name the coach who kissed her while she was an athlete.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t even reflect on it in that moment, I knew him quite well, he was a very friendly coach, so I didn\u2019t take it personally,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cIn that context, it wasn\u2019t meant in a way that was discriminatory against me.\u201d
\nHowever, the Australian said she now looks differently on the incident in the wake of the Women\u2019s World Cup final.
\nPittman, who is now a doctor, said it was important to speak up to ensure professional sport is a safe place for women.
\n\u201cIf we don\u2019t stand up for it in a public setting, it\u2019s really a misdemeanour for women globally,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SYDNEY Australia\u2019s former track world champion Jana Pittman has said she was kissed by a coach during her athletics career, a revelation that echoes the scandal engulfing Spanish football. Prosecutors in Spain are investigating Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales after he kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the medal ceremony of the Women\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-352597","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n