Adam Zugec Misconduct Accusations
Over a month ago, a Reddit thread(link here) was made by a woman who was a former student of BJJ black belt Adam Zugec at Zuma Martial Arts in Victoria, British Columbia.
This poster urges women from the area not to attend the gym, citing numerous accounts of inappropriate behavior towards her. In the thread, multiple residents of Victoria corroborated the story and stated that Zugec had a reputation for this type of behavior towards female students.
“Over time, he made sexually suggestive comments about my body and personal life, touched me without my consent – even after I explicitly asked him to stop – and asked invasive questions about my sex life. These actions occurred both in private and in group settings, sometimes even within earshot of others, including his own family.
He also offered to photograph me after prolonged commentary about my appearance, which felt uncomfortable and unsettling. It crossed the boundary of what should be a safe, professional relationship between coach and athlete.”- Forsaken-Credit3963.
Another poster named KaybeeJJ also shared a similar story about Zugec asking her sexual questions and if she’d like to get pregnant.
A few weeks later, there was another update on the story with more stories of harassment.
Update on Zuma gym being unsafe for women and girls: r/VictoriaBC https://share.google/BpouTSrnKneWSG2Nm
TV Reports On Adam Zugec & Police Investigation
Since the original Reddit thread was posted, over 13 former female students have come out accusing Adam Zugec of inappropriate behavior and making advances.
Multiple local news outlets picked up the story and posted it.
- https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/vancouver-island/article/police-investigate-assault-sexual-harassment-allegations-at-victoria-gym/
- https://cheknews.ca/victoria-police-investigate-zuma-martial-arts-after-complaints-1268049/
- https://www.vicnews.com/local-news/victoria-gym-under-investigation-after-sexual-harassment-claims-8156011
Local police are now investigating these accusations against the Zuma Martial Arts owner, and no official charges have been given against him.
Unfortunately, these types of incidents have always been prevalent within all types of martial arts schools, but it was good that the women spoke out and were heard.
Hopefully, this will give more women who are being harassed by instructors the courage to speak out.
Bobby is martial artist for almost 20 years with a BJJ black belt under Professor Sergio Miranda. He is also a karate black and former combat sports athlete, who loves all things grappling.