Canadian bobsled and skeleton athletes are rejecting mediation, and "stand resolute" in their request for the resignations of two of their national sport organization's executives.
A group that has grown to more than 80 athletes from the original group of 60-plus, repeated their call in a letter Monday to Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) for Sarah Storey, CEO and president of the board of directors, and high performance director Chris Le Bihan to step down.
"At the very least, these individuals must be placed on immediate leave until the investigation has concluded," said the letter signed by 82 athletes, past and present (2014-2022).
The letter was in response to the national sport organization's plan to engage an independent, third-party mediator to address concerns by athletes.
"Frankly we are astonished that the Board tasked Sarah Storey to respond to our letter given our calls for her resignation," the letter said. "Time and time again, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) has controlled the narrative on our complaints and has failed to address the underlying systemic causes of these issues — resulting in further preservation of the status quo."
The letter stated that athletes have no trust in the current leadership that there will be meaningful resolution to what they say is a toxic culture, and that previous mediation and independent investigations have "never resulted in permanent or adequate change or restitution."
Several athletes told The Canadian Press recently that they fear retribution.
"Requiring athletes to sit in a room to raise concerns with the very leadership that has repeatedly employed means to subjugate and intimidate them, creates a scenario that directly showcases the concerns outlines in our original letter," Monday's letter stated.
"BCS' proposal for more meetings and more internal investigations is a reoccurring theme that we cannot accept. Your decision to have group mediation with the athletes is outright rejected," they wrote.
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton acknowledged receipt of Monday's letter, saying the organization is "committed to identifying and resolving the issues brought forward by athletes through a forum that encourages open dialogue and transparency, including the participation of BCS athletes and staff as well as other stakeholders who can bring valuable perspective.
"We believe that constructive dialogue and a clear action plan will bring about positive change," BCS said in a statement. "An independent mediation process has been initiated. Athletes will be invited to participate in all aspects, including shaping the mediation process and sharing their views. The BCS Board hopes that athletes will participate in this opportunity. As an independent supporter of sport, Own the Podium supports this initiative as a path to encourage discussion and find solutions."
Athletes complained to BCS last week about issues with culture, safety, transparency and governance, claiming staff makes arbitrary decisions on matters like team selection based on biases, and has little concern for athlete safety, among other issues.
In an email last week to Canada's current 49 bobsled and skeleton athletes, and signed by Storey, BCS outlined a two-step process. The first step was to convene meetings with athletes to identify issues of concern and opportunities for improvement within the high-performance program.
Step 2 was to convene a mediated meeting of athletes, the board, as well as representatives from Sport Canada, Own The Podium, and the Canadian Olympic Committee to review the issues and develop an action plan.
Canada's bobsled team captured two bronze medals at the Beijing Olympics — Christine de Bruin in the monobob and Justin Kripps' four-man sled.
In interviews with The Canadian Press, athletes talked about issues such as the skeleton team competing at the Beijing Olympic test event last fall without a coach present, leading to injuries on the unfamiliar track. The athletes claimed they're almost completely self-funded.
Athletes on bobsled's development team said they had no access to medical treatment at a camp at Whistler, B.C., including an athlete who was ejected from a sled.
Both skeleton and bobsled athletes claimed arbitrary decisions are made about things like team selection, with no explanation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2022.
Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press
