Probe into Bobsleigh Association yet to talk to initial complainant

The man whose complaint sparked a UK Sport-commissioned investigation into the British Bobsleigh and S ke l e t o n Association (BBSA) says he is yet to be formally interviewed as part of the probe.

Colin Rattigan raised a complaint against the BBSA in July of last year and was removed from the board on October 1.

His complaint centred on several issues, one of which was the failure of the BBSA to recruit Tom De La Hunty as the organisation’s bobsleigh performance director as well as a number of other governance concerns.

He has now issued a statement raising concerns about how the investigation is progressing, with security and integrity firm Quest having been asked by UK Sport to conduct it.

Rattigan said: “There appeared to be a move before Christmas by Quest to exclude me any further from the process by claiming they had not heard from my legal representative, which was untrue, unseemly at best and suspicious at worst. I have yet to be formally interviewed by Quest.”

Rattigan has also questioned the independence of the investigation after claiming the wrong terms of reference were sent to Quest by UK Sport, and that “there was no defined process or threshold for calling witnesses”.

He also said an edited version of a recording of a key board meeting in which he alleges his data rights were breached had been sent to investigators by the BBSA, rather than the original.

The BBSA declined to comment on Rattigan’s claims, with the investigation still ongoing, as did UK Sport and Quest.

In November last year a letter signed by members of the respective teams led by Brad Hall and Mica Mcneill rubbished claims made by a rival group of athletes the previous month that the removal of Rattigan from the BBSA’S board would have a significant, adverse effect on their chances of success.

Despite its call for an end to what it called the “ludicrous” in- fighting within the domestic sport, the letter earned short shrift from the opposing camp, with one figure branding Ha l l ’ s and Mcneill’s crews “spoilt brats” when asked for a response to the letter by the PA news agency.

A letter sent in October, remotely signed by 13 athletes and two coaches under the collective title of ‘ British Bobsleigh Athle tes’, had raised concerns over Rattigan’s removal and said it threatened his “exceptional” plan which they said they felt sure would bring “collective success, funding and medals”.

The BBSA’S bobsleigh programme lost its UK Sport funding following the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018 following a UK Sport probe which raised concerns over governance issues.

Hall and Mcneill said in November that they were not consulted over the initial letter.

The BBSA declined to comment on Hall and Mcneill’s letter.