Varnish bid to shake up British sport

JESS VARNISH’S legal action against British Cycling could lead to a Bosman-style challenge against the structure of Olympic sport in the UK. The issue for Varnish’s lawyers is that riders — indeed all athletes in UK Sport’s World Class Performance system — are not considered employees despite signing contracts and receiving what amount to salaries in terms of National Lottery and Government funding. Elite Olympic athletes receive £28,000 per annum tax free. So, Varnish’s lawyers could first have to demonstrate their client was an employee before pursuing claims against British Cycling for alleged discrimination. A legal challenge over the employment status of Olympic athletes could have huge ramifications for sport in the UK, just as the Bosman Ruling in 1995 enabled footballers to move clubs freely when their contracts expired. Varnish’s lawyers are focusing on her removal from the World Class Programme months before the 2016 Rio Olympics. The recent independent review of British Cycling found that the governing body ‘did not follow contractual due process’ but said Varnish’s ‘removal’ was not ‘an act of discrimination’. A statement from British Cycling last October upheld her allegation that technical director Shane Sutton had used ‘discriminatory language’.