Inquiry after coach leaves amid unrest
High Performance Sport New Zealand is to investigate the departure of head sprint coach Anthony Peden from Cycling New Zealand after allegations of inappropriate behaviour were aired.
Peden said in a CNZ statement on Wednesday that he was stepping down because his approach was not aligned with that of CNZ.
But 1News said it understood there was growing unrest from athletes and staff about Peden, including allegations of inappropriate behaviour. It said more than 20 staff have left the organisation since the 2016 Rio Olympics, with many cyclists saying the toxic environment within the team was the reason.
Peden could not be reached for comment and CNZ chief executive Andrew Matheson declined to answer questions around the accusations.
But High Performance Sport NZ chief executive Michael Scott said yesterday that he would be launching an investigation as given the information the organisation had, it ‘‘could and should have’’ done more in relation to Peden.
‘‘I will be commissioning an investigation so that we get to the bottom of this and learn from our mistakes,’’ Scott said in a statement released to Radio New Zealand. ‘‘Integrity and ethics are fundamentals of sport.’’
Peden, who had been head sprint coach since 2013, guided the men’s team sprint trio to unparalleled success with three world championship titles, an Olympic silver medal at Rio and 14 Commonwealth Games medals – including back-to-back golds in the team and individual sprint.
In the CNZ statement, Peden said his all-encompassing approach was not aligned to that of CNZ.
Matheson said he was unable to comment on exactly what Peden was referring to because it’s ‘‘his [Peden’s] quote’’.
‘‘He obviously feels that he is not aligned to where we want to go and that’s unfortunate,’’ Matheson said.
‘‘Every coach has their own style of operating and Anthony is no different.’’
Matheson revealed there have been attempts to get everyone on the same page before Peden’s decision to stand down.
Future plans remain on track leading into the 2020 Olympics for the Kiwi sprinters but concedes the perfect result would have been for Peden to continue coaching until after the Tokyo Games.
Peden’s position will be advertised almost immediately.