‘Culture of fear’ in British cycling
● Ex-technical director Sutton is criticised by panel ● Drive for medals led to unacceptable work behaviour
Team GB cyclists operated within a corrosive culture of fear where inappropriate behaviour was tolerated by a leadership focused on maintaining the country’s Olympic dominance, an independent panel has found.
The investigation exposed the toll on the welfare of cyclists due to failings by a leadership which delivered 12 medals on the track at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Cycling has formed the bedrock of Britain’s emergence as an Olympic power over the last two decades, with the country surging to second in the medals standings last year.
Government-funded agency UK Sport was found to have failed to act on warning signs about the issues. A previously secret British Cycling report after the 2012 London Olympics concluded there was a “culture of fear and bullying” and “autocratic leadership”.
The latest review reported: “The central pursuit of medals and derived National Lottery funding from UK Sport meant that the addressing of cultural and behavioural issues in the WCP [world class programme] which were known since late 2012 was not prioritised.”
UK Sport chief executive Liz Nicholl said the agency would be “more inquisitive” in the future. She added: “Any suggestion that UK Sport is about a ‘winning at all costs’ approach is frankly disturbing and is wrong. But we have to accept that there is now evidence of instances when the drive to be the best in the world and the drive to win medals may have contributed to some unacceptable behaviour and culture in some world-class programmes.”
Nicholl was speaking alongside review panel chairman Annamarie Phelps at the headquarters of UK Sport, which decides the level of funding for Olympic sports.
The report was prompted by claims of sexism and bullying made by former rider Jess Varnish and other Olympians and Paralympians.
The report highlights a “culture of fear” among staff and athletes in the last Olympic period, which created “an atmosphere of impunity, resulting on occasion in inappropriate behaviours that had no place in a modern workplace”.
Shane Sutton, who quit last year as technical director following allegations of discrimination, was sharply criticised.
“SS did not operate in a way which was always appropriate for a modern workplace, even if highly-pressurised and at the pinnacle of international sporting competition,” the report said. “Furthermore,
those descriptions again indicate that SS should not have been placed into a leading management position within the WCP without appropriate support, guidance and training also being put in place.”
The panel has urged British Cycling to instigate a more “collaborative” working environment where athletes are empowered and not treated like children.
Jonathan Browning, British Cycling’s recently appointed chairman, said: “We accept, in full, the recommendations in the [report] and apologise for where we have failed or fallen short of the standards which we should have achieved.”
“There is now evidence the drive to be the best intheworldand towin medals contributed to unacceptable behaviour”
LIZ NICHOLL