Authors of report into alleged 'culture of fear' at British Cycling deny probe was a whitewash
Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Authors of the long-awaited report into an alleged “culture of fear” at British Cycling have denied their probe was a whitewash.
The 69-page dossier was highly critical of the sport's leadership and treatment of axed sprinter Jess Varnish.
And a panel including former England rugby coach Stuart Lancaster and led by Brtish Rowing chair Annamarie Phelps concluded former technical director Shane Sutton operated in a “power pocket” with the accent heavily on winning medals.
Varnish, dropped from the elite programme after she failed to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics, lodged claims of bullying, discrimination and sexism against Sutton, alleging he told her to “go and have a baby.”
(Photo: Getty)
But the published report is a toned-down version of a draft document leaked earlier this year, with Sutton cleared of eight out of the nine claims against him.
Phelps insisted: “I don't believe it's a whitewash. It's quite a strong report with very strong recommendations and very strong criticisms.
“And I don't think there'sa shift in tone (from the original draft). I think we have been as strong. We have changed some of the wording.”
Varnish is expected to pursue legal action against British Cycling to try and force them to release the performance data which vindicates her being dropped from the elite medal programme.