Toni Minichiello deemed ineligible for public funding at UK Sport appeal panel
Toni Minichiello, who coached Jessica Ennis-Hill to Olympic heptathlon glory, has been declared ineligible to receive public funding after the issuing of a life ban from athletics in August 2022. An investigation found Minichiello engaged in “sexually physical behaviour” with athletes and an independent case management group issued a life ban from track and field.
UK Sport, the body that funds elite Olympic and Paralympic sport, convened a panel to consider Minichiello’s eligibility to receive public funding after the ban. The panel’s initial ruling on funding was challenged by
Minichiello, but on Monday UK Sport announced an appeal panel found
Minichiello’s behaviour amounted to misconduct and brought himself, his sport and UK Athletics into disrepute. The panel declared him ineligible to receive public funds or publicly funded benefits.
UK Sport said Minichiello would remain ineligible until it is satisfied he has been granted a coach licence or appointed to a role that qualifies him to public funding or publicly funded benefits by either UK Athletics or another national sports governing body.
Minichiello was Ennis-Hill’s coach when she won heptathlon gold at the London Olympics in 2012. She said in August 2022 that the findings against her former coach were “shocking and upsetting” but that she had never been on the receiving end of any inappropriate treatment.
Minichiello had denied the charges against him but UK Athletics said at the time that the findings, which amounted to a large number of breaches of its coach licence terms over a 15-year period, “constitute gross breaches of trust”.
Minichiello’s coaching licence expired during that original disciplinary process but UK Athletics said there would never be a time in the future where it would be appropriate to issue a new one.