An arbitrator has vacated a permanent ban against two-time Olympic taekwondo champion Steven Lopez, setting aside the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s finding that he violated its code of conduct for sexual misconduct involving a minor.
The decision issued by Jeff Kaplan on Monday, which was obtained by USA TODAY Sports, reinstates Lopez after the center had declared him permanently ineligible in September.
“He had been sanctioned for life based on a set of allegations,” said Howard Jacobs, Lopez’s attorney. “Those allegations were not proven, and so he’s no longer under any sanction.”
SafeSport spokesman Dan Hill cited the center’s policy in declining to discuss the specifics of the case.