American sprint coach Rana Reider ‘axed from Paris Olympics over allegations of sexual and emotional abuse’
CANADIAN sprinter Andre De Grasse’s coach has reportedly been ejected from the Olympics in Paris.
Rana Reider, an American sprint coach training the defending 200m champion, has reportedly been removed from the Olympics for sexual abuse allegations.
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Rana Reider has reportedly been removed from the Olympics after sexual assault allegationsCredit: Rex
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Reider coaches Canadian sprinter and reigning 200m champion Andre De GrasseCredit: Rex
According to The Times, three women have filed sexual abuse lawsuits in Florida court against Reider.
One of the athletes has accused Reider of sexual and emotional abuse and harassment. Another accused him of sexual and verbal harassment.
Reider’s lawyer, Ryan Stevens, only commented to say that his client is being represented by “Florida counsel in the state lawsuits.”
“We’ll address USATF after the Olympics,” he added.
USA Track & Field shared the lawsuits with Canada’s National Olympic Committee, who then informed Reider that his access to the Olympics was being revoked.
Reider was set to arrive at Stade de France on Sunday, but lost his access.
USA Track and Field is also being listed as a defendant in the case alongside Reider’s Tumbleweed Track Club.
Puma and Adidas have been named as defendants in the lawsuit too.
“While the allegations are deeply troubling, they are from a time period during which Reider no longer had any relationship with Adidas,” Adidas said in a statement.
“We will be making no further comment during the legal process.”
Reider was coming off of a 12-month probation before this most recent lawsuit after admitting to an “imbalance of power” in a relationship with one of his athletes.
When his probation expired in May of this year, USATF issued a safety plan prohibiting Reider from doing one-on-one coaching without a chaperone.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Reider’s lawyer for further comment.
The Paris Olympics have not been without controversy this year, as Steven van de Velde, a dutch beach volleyball player, has drawn headlines.
He was convicted of raping a 12-year-old and served jail time, but was permitted to compete in the Olympics.
Van de Velde, 29, served 13 months in prison after his 2016 rape conviction in England, but the International Olympic Committee claimed they were powerless to stop him from being sent by the Netherlands.
In his fourth game of the beach volleyball tournament, van de Velde faced a steady stream of boos from a hostile crowd before being eliminated from the Olympics.
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Reider previously served a 12-month probation for an inappropriate relationshipCredit: Rex