UK Track and field coach Toni Minichiello banned for life over sexually inappropriate conduct

Toni Minichiello, who helped Jessica Ennis-Hill become a world champion and an Olympic gold medalist, has been banned for life by UK Athletics for sexual misconduct.

Minichiello reportedly had inappropriate physical and sexual interactions with multiple athletes throughout his coaching career.

He was named as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award’s Coach of the Year in 2012 - and he responded to the allegations by calling them “insulting and inaccurate.” He also claimed he has been unfairly treated by UK Athletics, because he has often been critical of the sport’s governing body.

An independent panel found Minichiello’s actions to “have had severe consequences for the mental health and mental well-being of the athletes under his charge”.

Yet Minichiello denies the accused behavior, and insisted the charges stemmed from “one argument in 15 years of a relationship.” He also insisted the complaint did not accurately reflect how he treated his athletes. As he told The Guardian:

“If you look at my record of supporting Jessica Ennis-Hill and defending her after Charles van Commenee’s comments about her being out of shape in 2011, or when people inside the sport said she couldn’t come back after her pregnancy, it shows my reputation in terms of defending women and supporting women’s athletics,” he said.

“I have always worked my damnedest to make my athletes achieve success and their dreams in whatever way is best appropriate. Look at Katy Marchand, who moved from training with me to winning a cycling bronze medal in Rio. Does that letter smack of what I am actually like? I honestly don’t think it does.

“As a coach I have always worked as hard as I can for all my athletes - we are in this to succeed together and it is disappointing when any coach-and-athlete relationship comes to an end,” he said. “I understand her frustration but I think the letter is insulting and inaccurate.”

However the findings reveal that Minichiello had “a large number of breaches” while coaching Britain’s best over a period of 15 years.

The panel found Minichiello in violation of all four charges levied against him:

- inappropriate sexual references and gestures to athletes

- Failed to respect the athletes’ right to a private life by making intrusive inquiries and personal comments about their personal lives

- Engaged in sexually physical behavior, namely inappropriate and unwanted touching of athletes to whom he owed a duty of care

- Engaged in inappropriate and sometimes aggressive behavior, bullying and emotional abuse

Although Minichiello was not sanctioned by track and field governing bodies, he was effectively expelled from the sport due to the expiration of his current license.

“UKA has considered the matter and decided that these findings are of the utmost seriousness,”

“They constitute gross breaches of trust by Mr. Minichiello which have had severe consequences for the mental health and mental well-being of the athletes under his charge.

“The issuance of a UKA license to a coach is essentially a representation on behalf of UKA that the coach in question can be trusted with the athletes under his charge.

“UKA is firmly of the view that there will never be a time in the future at which it would be appropriate to grant that assurance and issue such a license.

“UKA has decided that it will not entertain any future application made by Mr. Minichiello for a UKA coach license in perpetuity.”

The panel found Minichiello had violated multiple standards of conduct and that he had also made inappropriate and derogatory comments about the athletes’ personal lives.

Comments made regarding some of his athletes’ relationships and boyfriends, telling one she would “never get married” and “never have kids.”