BRITISH CANOEING has been rocked by claims a high profile coach guaranteed female athletes their place in the team in exchange for sex and sexual acts.
The coach was suspended last December whilst UK Sport continue to carry out a “full and independent investigation”.
According to the Daily Mail, an allegation was made after the coach asked a Great British elite athlete to perform a sex act on him.
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And he has also been accused of offering a former Under 23 athlete selection for an event abroad in return for sex.
The British Canoeing team enjoyed their most successful Olympic Games in Rio last year, winning three gold medals and two silvers, whilst the Paralympic team took home three golds and two bronze medals.
But they are now facing a fight for their future following the latest shock allegations.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, one athlete recalled the time they first raised doubts with the committee.
They said: “‘We were away on a trip and the girl, who was 18, got ill and moved into [the coach’s] room to get better.
“I thought it was inappropriate and outrageous, so raised it to the administrative aide who was on the trip. She agreed with me initially, and said it was a bit bizarre.
“When we got back to the UK, I was called in to see her and [the coach] and was told by the two of them, in no uncertain terms, ‘Do not talk about [the coach] in this way and create rumours, because it’s very bad for someone’s career’.”
STATEMENT FROM BRITISH CANOEING REGARDING ATHLETE WELFARE
“Athletes and their welfare sit at the heart of British Canoeing and we are appalled by the content of the claims being made.
“As a result of a formal complaint received by British Canoeing in December 2016, a member of our performance team was suspended and an independent investigation was immediately initiated.
“From the outset, British Canoeing has conducted this investigation appropriately and with the full support and confidence of the complainants and the British Athletes Commission. This investigation has been concluded and a disciplinary hearing is now pending.
“However many of the historical claims referred to within the Daily Mail article were not part of the original investigation and have only come to light over the last few days as a result of our enquiries and witness testimony. We believe this requires further independent investigation and this will commence without delay.
“We wish to make it very clear however, that there is no evidence at this stage to suggest that any safeguarding concerns raised were not dealt with properly at the time.
“John Anderson has an exemplary track record as performance director with British Canoeing over five Olympic cycles. Everyone who knows and has worked closely with John recognise him as an upstanding individual, whose actions are governed at all times by a strong personal set of core values and beliefs.
“His personal qualities and integrity are of the highest order and he has always displayed a genuine duty of care and responsibility for the wellbeing of the athletes and staff that are involved in our sport. Under his leadership British Canoeing has become of the most successful and respected performance programmes in the world.
“We have written recently to all of our World Class programme athletes to assure them that any further concerns they may wish to raise will be fully and appropriately investigated. This assurance of course extends to any athletes from other parts of the sport or those who may no longer be on programmes.
“With a new Chair, CEO and several new Board members appointed within the last 12 months, British Canoeing has undergone significant governance changes. We have reviewed and strengthened our governance processes across the organisation, including the World Class Performance programme and we will continue this work at pace, with a very clear focus on athlete welfare.”
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It was also claimed that the coach rang one witness’s parents and threatened to kill their family after allegations came to light in 2009.
The parent alleged: “I returned a phone call from [the coach] explaining my son had been questioned by the team leader and that most paddlers on the team did not like what had been happening.
‘The coach then became abusive and said he was going to come to my house and kill my son, kill me and kill my wife.”
Former performance director John Anderson MBE has taken a huge brunt of the criticism for keeping the coach amongst the team.
In 2009 the entire men’s senior squad signed a letter saying they didn’t want the coach to be involved because they felt he was a risk to athlete welfare.
But after Anderson received the letter, the coach was only moved to a different area of the performance programme.
The parent also admitted they spoke to Anderson after the coach’s threats and questioned why he has an MBE.
They added: “I decided to speak to John Anderson. I felt very intimidated but stated that I believed the coach was currently psychologically not fit for the position he was in.
“There is more than a touch of cronyism here and for John Anderson to leave his post with an MBE is a complete disgrace.
“I personally would not encourage any athletes to follow the Olympic pathway in canoeing until we have a much more open system.”
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