Bobsleigh coach of Great Britain Olympic accused of racism by athlete
Bobsleigh coach of Great Britain Olympic accused of racism by athlete: Great Britain had finished fifth in the men’s bobsleigh at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Accusation of racism and multiple complaints of a toxic atmosphere in the sport have been raised against a senior coach who has been working with the Great Britain’s Winter Olympic bobsleigh squad.
Earlier in the year, a host of athletes had written anonymously to the chief executive of governing body the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association (BBSA) to “share concerns over the behaviour of key performance and management staff.”
Confidential reports which were viewed by the journalists showed statements such as “of the highest order, mentioning bullying, racism, sexism and discrimination.”
However, the following month they were told no disciplinary action would be taken following an internal review because no “formal complaints” were made.
Details of racism claims
Amid revelations that will add to the athlete welfare crisis sweeping through British sport, and just eight months before the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, we can reveal that among individual letters sent to Parker:
- One athlete alleged they had experienced “racism several times” from a senior coach, and that the coach referred to black people as “lazy” and had “a blatant dislike towards people of colour”.
- Another athlete claimed there was “a racial bias in favour of caucasian males” on the performance programme and “a racial stigma against black drivers”.
- According to further complainants, “sexist comments are regular, there have been claims of racist remarks which all get ignored”, “the culture is one of fear… athletes are literally terrified of putting a foot wrong”, and there was “dictatorship within the management”.
The BBC can also reveal the BBSA received an earlier allegation of discriminatory language by a different senior coach towards an athlete three years ago.
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