British sport grappling with a crisis in ‘athlete welfare’
US star Franklin to miss worlds
LONDON, June 13, (Agencies): British sport is grappling with a crisis in athlete welfare after allegations of misconduct within canoeing and bobsled emerged in the same week that a report into bullying in cycling is due to be published.
UK Sport, the agency that distributes funding to Olympic and Paralympic sports in Britain, said a second investigation is about to begin within British Canoeing following allegations about the conduct of a coach.
In a separate statement, UK Sport said issues raised by athletes in bobsled have been investigated and are the subject of an “ongoing review.” The BBC reported Tuesday that allegations involved a senior coach being accused of racism. The latest developments come while British Swimming is investigating allegations by paraswimmers of bullying.
On Wednesday, British Cycling will publish an independent review into its culture following claims by former rider Jess Varnish and other Olympians and Paralympians of sexism and bullying. The report was co-commissioned by UK Sport.
“As part of the independent review into the climate and culture in the British Cycling World Class Program, we have learnt valuable lessons to be shared across the British sporting system to improve culture and conduct and to ensure that issues, if they arise, are addressed robustly and appropriately,” UK Sport said.
“Athlete welfare and duty of care is of paramount importance to us,” added the agency, which has appointed a Head of Sport Integrity to “advise on policies and procedures for handling and reviewing cultural or behavioural issues as they arise and to provide assurance on the appropriateness and timeliness of actions taken by individual sports governing bodies.”
Five-time Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin, who had surgery on both shoulders this year, will miss the 2017 swimming world championships in Budapest.
Franklin who won four golds at the 2012 London Games before coming away with one in a largely disappointing 2016 Olympic campaign, told NBC Sports she made the decision in consultation with coach Dave Durden.
“If I had a deadline to try and get better by, we were really worried that that would rush things and that could really impact the quality of the therapy and the work that we were trying to do getting back,” Franklin told NBC.
Australian Olympic swimming great Grant Hackett has blamed excessive drinking and anxiety attacks for a series of unsavoury incidents that badly tarnished his reputation.
The 37-year-old sought help for mental health issues in February after being arrested at his parents’ home following a family bust-up. He then went missing for several days, sparking fears for his safety.