Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and brothers Filip and Henrik have accused their father, and former coach, Gjert, of physical violence and abusive behaviour, claims strenuously denied by the 57-year-old.
The Norwegian family shot to fame for their exploits on the track, but the three siblings have publicly spoken of their traumatic past, stating the situation is now "unbearable".
Under the guidance of Gjert, Jakob, the youngest of the three siblings, shot to fame when he claimed gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 aged just 20. He middle-distance sensation has gone on to add two World Championship silvers and two golds in 2022 and 2023.
Last year Ingebrigtsen stepped down as coach of the three brothers for medical reasons, but began coached fellow Norwegian Narve Gilje Nordas, a main rival of Jakob. The growing family rift widened when Gjert was not granted accreditation at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.
In a statement from the brothers published in the Norwegian newspaper VG, the brothers said their household growing up was marked by aggression, control and physical violence.
Initially accepting of their environment, they took a stand two year ago, describing their situation as "draining" and "unbearable."
"When we broke up with Gjert, we thought we would be able to handle the situation in an orderly manner, without mentioning the underlying circumstances. We now realise that is not possible," the statement said.
"This matter has become so inflamed and has had such a great consequence that we feel a responsibility to clean it up.
"We have grown up with a father who has been very aggressive and controlling and who has used physical violence and threats as part of his upbringing. We still feel discomfort and fear which has been in us since childhood.
"Somehow we have accepted this. We have lived with it, and in adulthood we have moved on. At least we thought so. In retrospect, we realise that it was naive. But two years ago, the same aggression and physical punishment struck again. It was the drop that made the cup run over."
Gjert responded through his lawyers denying the allegations of violence.
"The statements they make are baseless. I have never used violence against my children. That I have had weaknesses as a father, and to a great extent been too much of a coach, is a realisation I have also come to – albeit far too late.
"I'm far from perfect as a father and husband, but I’m not violent. First and foremost, this is a tragic situation for my family–we have reached the point where we are spreading false accusations against each other in the media. It makes me deeply unhappy. How we’re going to get past this, I don’t know, but we’ve got to try."
The brothers also called on the Norwegian Athletics Association to ensure they are removed from situations where they would have to face their father.
"On the basis of Jakob, Philip and Henrik’s statements today, we promise to provide a safe environment and a healthy performance environment for our athletes," the Norwegian Athletics Federation wrote in a response to their statement.
