Accreditation pulled from De Grasse coach Rana Reider by Canadian Olympic Committe

PARIS -

The Canadian Olympic Committee said Tuesday it has revoked accreditation from the coach of six-time Olympic medal-winning sprinter Andre De Grasse, citing "new information" that has come to light about coach Rana Reider.

The organization said Reider was on probation with the U.S. Center for SafeSport until May of this year, and the decision to accredit him was based on the understanding that he had no other suspensions or sanctions against him.

"On Sunday Aug. 4 we learned of new information about the appropriateness of Mr. Reider remaining accredited by Team Canada at the Paris 2024 Games," the COC wrote. "In discussion with Athletics Canada, it was agreed that Mr. Reider’s accreditation be revoked.”

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The COC did not specify the nature of the new information, but did say that Reider was accredited only as a personal coach with access to athletic warm-up and training areas.

U.K. media outlets have reported the decision is tied to concerns over the "safeguarding" of athletes and allegations of sexual and emotional abuse, and court documents filed in Broward County, Fla., show three women have filed suit against Reider there related to alleged sexual and emotional abuse.

Reider's U.S. based lawyer Ryan Stevens said Reider is “suddenly, and without due process, being denied the right to continue coaching athletes competing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” based on what the lawyer called "years-old claims in a lawsuit by former athletes seeking financial gain."

Stevens said Reider currently has no sanctions against him by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, USA Track & Field or Athletics Canada.

"It’s a bad day for the Olympics when a governing body’s fear of bad publicity is prioritized over the athletes,” Stevens said in a written statement. "Coach Reider has no pending sanctions against him by any governing body."

The allegations have not been proven in court, and Reider has not been charged with a crime.

In July, the plaintiff of the first lawsuit filed a motion to transfer and consolidate the three cases, arguing that they “involve many of the same defendants and involve the same or similar subject matter, which is the (alleged) sexual and emotional abuse of plaintiffs by defendant Rana Reider and the responsibility of the other defendants for that (alleged) abuse."

The other defendants include the Tumbleweed Track Club, USA Track and Field, as well as Adidas and Puma.

In court documents dated in May, Reider has denied the allegations contained in the first lawsuit, described an allegation of sexual assault as "false and shocking," and filed a counterclaim, citing defamation and other grounds.

The two other lawsuits are listed as having been filed in June. No response has been filed at this time.

Governing body World Athletics said it was not involved in the Olympic accreditation process but confirmed that "conversations" were held at a senior level about Reider's participation.

"The coach in question has not been accredited to any of our recent World Athletics Series Events, including the World Championships, where accreditation is under our control," it said in a statement.

The Guardian reported that on Friday, World Athletics had questioned Canada’s decision to accredit Reider after he had just finished serving his probation.

De Grasse is Canada’s most decorated male summer Olympic medallist, with one gold medal, two silvers and three bronzes. The 29-year-old from Markham, Ont. is the defending champion in the 200 metre event, and will next compete at Wednesday's semifinals at Stade de France, presumably without his coach by his side.

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De Grasse split from Reider in 2022 while the coach was being investigated for sexual misconduct by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, but later returned to him.

Reider's SafeSport case was resolved in May 2023 after he admitted to a “consensual romantic relationship with an adult athlete,” the statement from his legal team read. He was not found in violation of other sexual misconduct claims, it said.

The resolution included Reider agreeing to one year of probation with the U.S. Center of SafeSport, permitting him to continue training elite sprinters.

De Grasse reached his highest heights under Reider between 2018 and 2022. He achieved personal bests in the 100 (9.89 seconds) and 200 (19.62) at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, in addition to his best individual result at a worlds, with his 200 silver in 2019.

Reider is also the personal coach of Italian sprinter Marcell Jacobs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.