THE US Olympic Committee and USA Taekwondo have been accused of sex trafficking.

Four women filed a federal lawsuit on Friday, alleging that the organisations were aware that brothers Steven and Jean Lopez were sexual predators but continued to send young women with them to competitions around the world.

The lawsuit accuses the pair of rape, assault and other misconduct.

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Steven Lopez was suspended on Monday while the US Centre for Safe Sport seeks to resolve the case.

Coach Jean Lopez is appealing against violations for sexual misconduct that resulted in a permanent ban, one of which cases involved a minor.

Three plaintiffs in the lawsuit — Mandy Meloon, Heidi Gilbert and Gabriela Joslin — were involved in the investigation that led to his ban. They said they made those claims in 2015, but both brothers were still allowed to participate in the 2016 Games.

“By shielding Jean while simultaneously attacking his accusers, the USOC and USA TKD ratified Jean’s criminal acts and signalled to all female athletes that the rape culture of Team USA was acceptable behaviour to which all female athletes had to submit,” the lawsuit claims.

Fellow athlete Kay Poe, who is not a plaintiff but whose account is included as part of the class-action complaint, says she was only 17 when Jean Lopez had sex with her at the World Championships in Canada, qualifying as statutory rape under Canadian law.

“The sexual exploitation of Kay by Jean was not a secret and became common knowledge in the USA TKD community,” the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit claims that the defendants all benefited from the women’s continued abuse.

“As a condition of representing the United States on the US Olympic team, the USOC forced athletes to participate in competitions, giving predator coaches like Jean Lopez and athletes like Steve Lopez an opportunity to sexually assault these young females,” said the plaintiffs’ lawyer Jon Little.

“The USOC knowingly trafficked these girls to obtain medals and money time and again.”

The Lopezes have not commented on the current lawsuit but previously denied all allegations of sexual misconduct.