The fallout from an independent investigation into Cycling New Zealand’s handling of athlete selection ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Games is coming to a head, as High Performance Director Martin Barras has resigned following the confirmation of an integrity breach.
Cycling New Zealand was found guilty of not respecting International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) rules during the process of replacing an athlete during an event in Tokyo.
Campbell Stewart won a silver medal in the Omnium after Aaron Gate was ruled out after a crash in the bronze medal team pursuit ride. The breach which took place did not relate to any medal-winning performances said the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
Reserves are allowed to be taken to the Olympics but once a team has submitted a starting lineup, a change can only be made in the case of injury or illness.
Barras is likely not the only person to lose their job in the wake of the investigation. Jacques Landry, the Chief Executive of Cycling New Zealand has also stepped down after three years, and there are reports sprint coach Rene Wolff will also resign and take a similar role in Europe.
All of this is in the wake of an inquiry into the sport following the suspected suicide of Cycling New Zealand rider Olivia Podmore. She qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Games but was not selected and did not compete. Podmore died on August 9 of this year at the age of 24.
As director of Cycling New Zealand, Landry took full responsibility for the conduct of the team in Tokyo and said in a statement, “Cycling New Zealand has taken swift action following a breach of its Code of Conduct at the Tokyo Olympics. Out of respect for the participants who took part in the investigation under conditions of confidentiality, nobody at Cycling New Zealand is able to make any further comment.”
Cycling New Zealand has appointed Amy Taylor as interim High Performance Director.
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