GB CYCLING: GIVE US PROOF
BRITISH Cycling has asked to see claims made to an independent review panel alleging financial impropriety and historical doping among its staff.
The independent review found allegations of financial misuse and doping to be beyond its remit and they will not be included in the final report.
But British Cycling do not want to be accused of failing to address all the concerns raised in the review, which was commissioned by UK Sport, and want to see transcripts, even though some details may have to be redacted. They have not ruled out opening up financial records to external auditors.
UK Sport allocated more than £60million in National Lottery and exchequer cash to British Cycling between the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and Rio 2016. But serious questions have been raised to the independent review about where all that money went.
Several contributors raised concerns that bikes and equipment bought with public money were sold privately and that staff employed by British Cycling were diverted to private projects, including doing repairs to an employee’s home.
At least one person made claims of historical doping among staff.
The publication of the independent report has been delayed several times and is scheduled for release next month at the earliest.
But British Cycling, led by chairman Jonathan Browning and chief executive Julie harrington, who will join from the FA in May, have already begun putting plans in place to investigate claims outside its remit.
Browning has also had meetings with Jess Varnish and Nicole Cooke, two of the most high profile critics of British Cycling, and suggested they might act in advisory roles to the organisation.
Varnish was dropped from the high- performance programme after publicly speaking out about coaching decisions. A draft version of the independent review seen by
Sportsmail claimed this was an ‘act of retribution’.
Varnish then claimed that former technical director Shane Sutton had told her to ‘get on with having a baby,’ and that her bum was too big to ride certain roles on the team.
Meanwhile, 2008 Olympic road race champion Cooke said cycling was a sport ‘run by men, for men’.