Ex-GB coach faces a new drug inquiry
FORMER UK Athletics coach Rana Reider, who is already being investigated for ‘multiple complaints of sexual misconduct’, will also be drawn into a doping case being investigated by the Athletics Integrity Unit.
Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare, coached by Reider, was withdrawn from the Olympics in Tokyo after testing positive for banned human growth hormone.
The AIU will attempt to establish whether Reider, 51, knew of Okagbare’s alleged drug-taking as they investigate the entourage surrounding the athlete. The Mail on Sunday understands that the Okagbare case is now a complex international investigation.
The AIU have charged the 33-year-old Nigerian — an Olympic and world silver medallist and twotime Commonwealth champion — with use of the banned substances human growth hormone and EPO and with failing to co-operate with the investigation. She has contested the charges.
The AIU declined to comment on the ongoing case, which is due to be heard early in 2022.
Last week, it was revealed by the Daily Mail that UK Athletics had admitted that there were failures in a 2014 investigation into separate allegations of an affair between Reider and an 18-year-old athlete, 26 years his junior.
Reider was UKA’s head of sprints and relays at the time. UKA have not disclosed their findings.
An internal investigation was launched into the allegations and the American coach left his job shortly after and joined the Dutch federation. Dutch athletics officials have claimed they were assured by figures at UKA at that time that the allegations were rumours.
UKA’s rules at the time did not expressly ban relationships between coach and athlete, but it was strongly recommended that they ‘do not allow intimate relationships to develop with athletes … even if they are over the age of 18.’ Under current rules, such relationships are banned.
When told about the 2014 complaint and UKA’s ‘investigation’, Ad Roskam, the technical director of the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation, said: ‘What can I say? If this is correct, it’s disappointing to say the least. It is hard to do background checks and that’s a general problem in sport.’
Last month, it was announced the US Center for SafeSport would investigate Reider, who is now based in Florida, over multiple complaints of sexual misconduct.
Reider is one of the leading coaches in world athletics, working with 2016 Olympic triple jump champion and current world champion Christian Taylor and Olympic 200m champion Andre de Grasse. He currently coaches GB Olympians Adam Gemili, a world champion in GB’s 4x100m relay team in 2017 and Laviai Nielsen, a silver medallist in the 4x400m in 2017. Until recently he coached Daryll Neita, part of GB’s bronze medal-winning sprint relay team at last summer’s Toyko Olympics. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing involving any of those athletes.
UKA has subsequently advised British athletes training with
Reider to find new coaches if they wish to remain funded. Neita has left him, while Nielsen and Gemili have chosen to stay.
Reider denies the allegations and his lawyer Ryan Stephens said via email: ‘I look forward to vigorously defending Rana against any allegations involving SafeSport or the AIU. Further, Rana had absolutely no involvement with Blessing’s positive tests, and we fully expect the evidence in her case will confirm that.’
In November, UKA said: ‘Following information from the US Center for SafeSport that multiple complaints of sexual misconduct have been made against Rana and that an investigation is imminent, UK Athletics has informed UK athletes coached by him to cease all association until the conclusion of this process.’