Bobsleigh: Humphries off after filing harassment complaint
CALGARY— Two-time Olympic champion bobsledder Kaillie Humphries has filed a harassment complaint with the sport’s national governing body.
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton spokesperson Chris Dornan told The Canadian Press that the complaint had been forwarded to an independent investigator.
Humphries stepped away from competition before the World Cup season began in October. In an interview with the CBC, released Saturday, she said the break was the result of a harassment investigation.
“I found myself in a position where my workplace environment was impaired and I couldn’t compete,” Humphries said. “My entire career is at stake, who I am personally. I’m risking everything to be in this position. It’s not something I take lightly. So yeah, for me personally there’s a lot at stake.”
The Calgarian has competed in three Olympics, winning gold in two-woman bobsled in 2010 and 2014 and bronze in the same event last year.
“We take any allegations of this nature very seriously,” Dornan said in an email. “A safe training and competitive environment for everyone involved in our sport is Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton’s number one priority.”
In September 2014, the sport’s world body announced that it would allow mixed-gender crews to compete in the fourman event. Humphries then piloted a mixed-gender team to bronze at the nationals. Humphries and Elana Meyers of the U.S. became the first women to compete in a men’s international competition later that month.