Cycling New Zealand have launched an independent investigation into their culture following the sudden death of former Olympian Olivia Podmore.
Questions were raised about Cycling NZ’s culture when the track cyclist, who represented New Zealand at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, tragically died at just 24 years of age last week.
Podmore was reportedly pressured into lying by the organisation in 2018 when they were investigated for failing to act on claims of bullying and inappropriate behaviour.
Meanwhile, Podmore was believed to be troubled by her failure to be selected at the Tokyo Olympics - a decision deemed unfair by teammates.
On Thursday, Cycling NZ and High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) stated that a joint independent inquiry would assess the adequacy of the changes made in the wake of the 2018 investigation - the Heron Review - into the high performance programme of Cycling NZ.
The 2018 investigation was initially commissioned following cycling sprint coach Anthony Peden’s resignation citing bullying, drinking and an inappropriate relationship between the coach and an athlete.
The Heron Review concluded there was a lack of accountability and leadership within Cycling NZ - including an alarming reluctance to raise issues, such as “instances of bullying”.
“We have been listening carefully to the voices of athletes who have spoken out or made contact with us directly,” Cycling NZ chairperson Phil Holden said in the statement.
“The Board of Cycling NZ are very clear they want to make sure that those perspectives are built into this inquiry right from the start. Given how closely we work with HPSNZ, it is important that all of our individual and joint systems are reviewed concurrently.”
Holden’s sentiment was echoed by Raelene Castle, as the Chief Executive of HSPNZ said Podmore’s devastating death has raised serious questions about athlete wellbeing that must be acted on in the wake of the Tokyo Olympics.
Sports stars such as Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles have spoken out and withdrawn from competition in the name of mental health, with Biles becoming one of the stars of the Games due to her important and historic stance.
“Olivia’s death has focused our attention once more on the complex issues surrounding athlete welfare and wellbeing, issues that the system has grappled with across a number of years,” Castle said. “Our priority is to ensure we understand what has happened and what more can be done.
"Understanding something so complex will take time. We also must respect and engage in the coronial enquiry that is underway.
"A joint inquiry is the right thing to do to ensure we take a system view of the issue and are sensitive to all parties affected by this tragedy."
How the investigation will be conducted in terms of its scope and structure will be defined in conjunction with an independent inquirer, who is yet to be appointed.
Podmore, who hailed from Canterbury after being born in Christchurch, posted on social media about the pressure of high-performance sport just hours before her death.
“The feeling when you win is unlike any other, but the feeling when you lose, when you don’t get selected even when you qualify, when injured, when you don’t meet society’s expectations such as owning a house, marriage, kids all because [you’re] trying to give everything to your sport is also unlike any other,” she wrote on Instagram.
Podmore competed for New Zealand at Rio 2016 in the women’s sprint event and rode at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships that year.
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