Bid to water down report into cycling
A ‘DAMNING’ review into British Cycling — launched after
Sportsmail published accusations of sexism at the top of the sport — has been put on hold as lawyers try to keep damaging revelations secret from the public. The findings of the independent inquiry were expected next week, but publication has been delayed until next month as lawyers argue over whether parts of the report should be watered down. The review was commissioned by UK Sport and British Cycling last year after allegations of sexism and bullying by ex-Olympic cyclist Jess Varnish in this newspaper against former technical director Shane Sutton.
Sportsmail has been told details in the report are ‘damning’.
THE publication of a potentially explosive review of the culture of British Cycling has been delayed until next month, with lawyers understood now to be wrestling over what can and cannot be published. There was a plan to publish the independent review, commissioned by UK Sport and British Cycling last year in the wake of allegations of bullying and discrimination, as early as next week. But Sportsmail revealed last month that some of the evidence is ‘damning’ and now the debate is over what sections of the report need to be redacted. It is understood it could make grim reading for UK Sport — as well as British Cycling — because the pressure comes from the funding body to get results, most notably in the form of the Olympic medals cycling has delivered in abundance. What began with allegations made by ex-Olympic cyclist Jess Varnish against former technical director Shane Sutton in this newspaper last year escalated with testimony from other riders and coaches. Sir Dave Brailsford has been accused of presiding over a ‘culture of fear’ during his tenure as performance director at British Cycling. Last month, 2008 Olympic champion Nicole Cooke told a parliamentary select committee that the world class performance programme was ‘run by men for men’. Brailsford defended himself in The Times, insisting: ‘We were not sexist but we were definitely “medallist”.’ The job of the independent review panel has been to listen to the conflicting accounts, some of which are said to be scathing, and make a list of recommendations as well as highlight some of the problems that may have existed. There will be a focus on the bullying claims as well as on the relationship between British Cycling and Team Sky inside the National Cycling Centre in Manchester. The panel may also question whether enough was done by both UK Sport and British Cycling in response to previous reports on the culture inside British Cycling and the relationship with Team Sky. There is also a sense of frustration among other sports — at a time when the funding of some Olympic and Paralympic sports has been slashed by UK Sport — at the escalating cost of the review, which is thought to have now run well over £1million. Meanwhile, Richard Freeman, the British Cycling doctor at the centre of the Bradley Wiggins scandal, has agreed to appear before the Culture, Media & Sport select committee on February 22. Simon Cope, the courier who delivered the notorious ‘Jiffy-bag’ to Team Sky in 2011, will appear a week later on March 1.