Funding body says it is powerless to decide future of Lee Johnston

UK Sport has put the onus on British Bobsleigh to decide the future of its disgraced head coach only four months before the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The Guardian revealed that Lee Johnston, who was promoted to the position of head coach just over a fortnight ago, allegedly made derogatory comments about black athletes in July 2013, including telling the squad member Toby Olubi: “I knew you would be late because you are black.” In the same training session he remarked: “Black drivers do not make good bobsleigh drivers.”

UK Sport, the agency which allocates lottery and taxpayers’ money to Olympic sports, has given £5m to the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association over the past four-year cycle. A performance manager at UK Sport was made aware of the allegations against Johnston in 2014.

However, the UK Sport chief operating officer, Simon Morton, said the organisation had been “disappointed” to hear the full scale of decay at the BBSA including allegations of bullying, sexism and £500,000 wasted on a mothballed sled. The unfurling crisis has seen the departure of three senior officials at British Bobsleigh.

“Since these issues have arisen the CEO, performance director and head coach are no longer there so I think you’ve seen that UK Sport is willing to influence action to the greatest degree that it can do,” Morton said. “The comments that were attributed to him clearly aren’t acceptable but in relation to his employment status that’s not an issue that UK Sport has the power to change, that has to be handled by the governing body.”

Morton suggested there would be no immediate funding-cut sanctions, which is the primary weapon Joel Ward Youth jersey wielded by UK Sport. “We are ultimately a funding agency, we fund sport but we don’t run it,” he said. “The greatest lever we http://www.authenticphilliesstore.com/Authentic-Dave-Hollins-Jersey have is a funding lever but we are very close to Pyeongchang at the moment and it makes absolute sense to do whatever we can to get those athletes there in the best possible shape. As a general principle we would never put medal success over the integrity of the system even if that meant losing medals Wesley Johnson Womens Jersey at the Games. But it has to be an internal disciplinary issue.”

Anne Tiivas, meanwhile, the head of child protection in sport at the NSPCC, said there was http://www.officialoriolestore.com/Frank_Robinson_Jersey a “lack of will” from government to tighten loopholes that have become apparent during the Operation Hydrant investigation into child sex abuse in football. “One of the things that we now know is that all of those investigations that have been taking place and all of the people who http://www.officialpanthersonlinestore.com/Nick_Bjugstad_Jersey have reported concerns – albeit that they may go back 40 or 50 years – 70% of those have current safeguarding risks and implications,” Tiivas said. “Either because those people are still operating in sports bodies or other bodies with children, or because of the implications of the impact that abuse has had for them as parents or carers for others.

“If you are a teacher today and you have a sexual relationship with an otherwise consenting 16- or 17-year-old, it’s a criminal offence and you will get barred from teaching,” Tiivas added. “If you’re a coach with that same child in the evening, that is not a criminal offence. We must plug that loophole; it’s completely incongruous. It’s very difficult to understand the lack of will to tackle that.”

A Ministry of Eddie Giacomin Jersey Justice spokesperson said: “The protection of children is a priority for this government and we keep this important area of the law under review.”

 

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