A 45-year-old Hawaii Muay Thai coach has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a child he trained at his gym.
Bryan Flores of Spirit of the White Robe (SWR) Muay Thai was charged with 12 counts in December 2023, including five counts of first-degree sexual assault, four counts of second-degree sexual assault, one count of third-degree sexual assault, and two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault. The abuse occurred between 2019 and 2022, beginning when the victim was 13 years old. Flores reportedly ran the gym, which was founded in 2004, after being handed the reins by his father in-law.
In an article from just two months prior, Flores and his gym were highlighted in an article by the Hawaii Tribune Herald. “At Spirit of the White Robe, fighting is more than a sport or an art — it’s a lifestyle and life structure for young fighters, centered around fortitude, faith and family”, it began.
The article included quotes from Flores about his coaching methods.
“All the kids that fight for us — whether they’re young or older, five or six all the way to sixteen — they train for six weeks at training camp, six times a week”, Kru Flores said. “That is including running, sprinting, lots of pad workouts, strength and conditioning, a lot of sparring — and a lot of healing. We do ice baths and everything.”
“We also take care of the kids”, he said. “Once a week we feed them, get together and meet their families. There’s a lot of bonding at the same time while they go through the training camp, because training kids is different than training adults — they need a lot of support from all of the parents.”
Hawaii Tribune Herald, ‘The Fighting Spirit’, October 13th 2023
Flores also expressed intentions to shape his young students into “well-rounded individuals in life” and emphasised faith as a pillar of his teachings.
“Faith is also of great importance at SWR, as each training session ends with a group prayer — which each student takes a turn leading … Our faith in God and Jesus is key in being able to do what we do”, he said.
This reflects a well-documented pattern for perpetrators of child sexual abuse in sport. As well as grooming children, abusers also often groom those around them, including parents. Recruiting family members and peers into the athlete’s support system has been identified by safe sport researchers as a form of community grooming. Cultivating a reputation as a trusted coach, parental figure, caretaker and upstanding member of the community increases access to potential victims while creating barriers to expressing concerns or making disclosures. This, coupled with the inherent power imbalances in coach-athlete relationships, can facilitate the grooming process, enabling them to perpetrate and conceal abuse.
In September 2023, Flores was even named ‘coach of the year’ at the Toughman Hawaii Next Generation fight event, where his gym was given an ‘Outstanding Team Performance’ award. Just three months later, he was arrested.
Flores had remained out of custody for the majority of the proceedings on a $370,000 bond. On October 1st, 2025, he entered a guilty plea to first-degree sexual assault, a Class A felony. He received the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and was ordered to register as a sex offender. After the sentencing, he was immediately taken into custody to begin his prison term. According to reports, detectives and victim advocates had worked together over several years to build the case against him.
While Spirit of the White Robe Muay Thai is now listed as permanently closed on Google Maps, the gym appears to be in operation with an active Instagram account.
Safeguarding Against Child Abuse in Sport
To create safer sporting environments, Muay Thai gyms must implement the following safeguarding measures.
Safer Recruitment Procedures: Background checks, reference checks, and onboarding process that emphasise safe and inclusive gym culture.
Code of Conduct: Set expectations and define unacceptable behaviours, enabling you to challenge violations.
Safeguarding Policy: Clearly define the processes to follow when concerns are shared or reports are made.
Safeguarding Training: Education for all coaches, staff, students and parents.
Reporting & Whistleblowing Mechanisms: Clear pathways for people to share concerns, including anonymous options.
Child-Centred Approach: Dismantle harmful power dynamics of sporting environments by prioritising childrens’ wellbeing over sporting performance, encouraging them to express opinions, and listening to what they have to say.
These policies and procedures must be consistently monitored and reviewed, and coupled with a conscious effort to cultivate positive gym cultures.
Learn More About How to Prevent, Recognise and Respond to Child Abuse in Sport
If you’re not sure where to start, the following recommended resources can help:
The Athlete Survivors Assist
Child Protection in Sport Unit
Find more safeguarding in sport resources in the Safe Sport Community Library.
Emma Thomas
Founder of Under the Ropes
Emma is a safeguarding and lived-experience consultant specialising in survivor-centred approaches to tackling sexual violence in sport. She’s also a survivor-advocate, and has been writing about gendered issues in Muay Thai since 2013.
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