The Jiu-Jitsu community in Brazil has been rocked by a shocking scandal recently, as top Brazilian children’s coach Alcenor Alves has been accused of abuse by multiple top competitors who trained under him during their childhood. Alves is a BJJ black belt who has taught some of the best grapplers in the world over the years, so naturally the local community was shocked when he was arrested during a Jiu-Jitsu competition for children and teenagers in Santa Catarina on Saturday November 23rd, 2024. The investigation began when three competitors went to the Amazonas Civil Police to report the alleged crimes.
Since then, multiple other people have come forward and there is believed to be at least 12 victims known to the police already, with 6 more waiting to give statements. The Amazonas Civil Police have now charged him with rape of vulnerable persons and s*xual exploitation, and the offenses span from 2011 to 2018. Matheus Gabriel was among the first three competitors to reveal the alleged abuse, but he has since been joined by several other IBJJF world champions as well. He spoke to Globo to reveal the extent of the abuse:
“That happened and then it got worse, you know?! Then he started touching me, I woke up, like, a child at the time, I was in shock. My God, I didn’t know how to react. That’s what happened.”
The lead investigator, Juliana Tuma, said that victims of the alleged abuse by Brazilian coach Alves often had one thing in common: “Most of the victims came from low-income families and faced economic and social vulnerabilities. For many, Jiu-Jitsu was their only hope for a better future.”
Gabriel later released a joint statement on social media with Ary Farias, Meyram Maquine, and Thalison Soares and it can be found below (translated from the original Portuguese):
“The story I share today, together with some friends, is a warning for all of us about the seriousness of abuse in jiu-Jitsu. For years we carried the pain of a traumatic experience we’ve had: we were victims of abuse committed by a teacher, someone we should trust.”
“Like many other victims, we felt shame and feared reporting. This silence accompanied us for a long time, but now, with more courage, we decided to take a step forward.”
“Our decision to expose what happened was not easy, but we believe it is necessary to seek justice and prevent other people to go through the same thing.”
“We hope our story inspires other victims to overcome their pain an fear and feel encouraged to speak out. It is essential that the sports environment, which should be a respectful learning space, be safe for everyone.”
“We reaffirm our commitment to fight for a more fair jiu-jitsu environment, and protect it against any form of abuse. United, we can build a future where situations like this are confronted and eliminated. Furthermore, we reinforce our commitment to protecting the future generations of athletes, especially children and young people, and we ask that everyone pays attention so that situations like this never happen again.
“We thank everyone who supports us and we ask for respect in this delicate moment.”
“Sincerely, Matheus Gabriel, Meyram Maquine, Thalison Soares and Ary Farias.”
The original statement can be found below:
