NEW DELHI: Taking a swift action on the alleged harassment complaint filed by a leading female cyclist, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Wednesday evening informed that the contact of the accused national coach has been terminated with immediate effect after its internal complaints committee (ICC) prime facie found him guilty of misconduct on the cycling team’s training-cum-competition trip to Slovenia.
In a statement, the SAI stated that the allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” against the track sprint team’s head coach have been found to be “true” – as levelled by the complainant cyclist – by the committee.
"It is good that SAI has taken prompt action against the errant coach. But it is sad that the tour was abandoned midway, and the other cyclists were forced to return home early.-TimesView"
“The SAI had constituted an inquiry committee to hear the case of a national level cyclist’s complaint against a coach of inappropriate behaviour during a foreign exposure trip in Slovenia which was organised by the Cycling Federation of India (CFI). The committee has submitted its preliminary report today and, prima facie, the case is established and the allegations of the athlete are found to be true,” the statement read.
“The coach, who was hired on the recommendation of the CFI, had a contract with the SAI. Following the report, the SAI has terminated the contract of the coach with immediate effect. The committee will continue detailed investigation into the case and submit a final report,” it added.
The trip was part of the CFI’s efforts to prepare the team for the upcoming Asian Track Championships, scheduled to be held from June 18 to 22 at the indoor cycling velodrome of the IG stadium here.
The month-long preparatory camp, which began on May 15, will last till June 14. An eight member team has travelled to Slovenia and the complainant is the only female cyclist in the group.
The complainant, multiple gold medal winners in different editions of the Track Asia Cup cycling competitions, was asked to cut short her trip.
She returned to India on June 4 early morning on SAI’s insistence after she narrated the coach’s atrocious behavior to Target Olympic Podium Scheme’s (TOPS) CEO, Commodore P K Garg, on June 1 from Slovenia.
The coach in question is presently associated with the track sprint cyclists, who have been selected to be part of the TOPS riders for Paris Olympics 2024 and Los Angeles 2028.
