An American coach has been barred from the Paris Olympics amid abuse allegations. Rana Reider was ejected after three women complained that he had sexually and psychologically abused them. Reider coaches Canada’s 200-meter champion Andre De Grasse and Italian 100-meter gold medal holder Lamont Marcell Jacobs. He was trackside when Jacobs competed in the Paris 100-meter final.
It has since resurfaced, however, that Reider was investigated for sexual misconduct by the US Center for SafeSport and handed a one-year probation period, which ended in May. He was subsequently awarded accreditation from the Canadian Olympic Committee, which stated that the certification was conditional upon his adherence to eligibility requirements. The coach’s accreditation, however, has now been revoked following new allegations from female athletes, who have filed lawsuits against him in Florida.
Reiter’s attorney, Ryan Stevens, told reporters that his client was the victim of malicious complaints and there are no current sanctions against him. The Canadian Olympic Committee’s decision means that DeGrasse was left to compete without his coach, but the head coach of Athletics Canada said the competitor was “fine with it.”
The Olympic Games has a history of sexual assault and harassment, experts say, with two serious allegations made against athletes at the Rio Games in 2016. Police arrested Namibian boxer Jonas Junias Jonas for sexually assaulting a hotel housekeeper, and Moroccan boxer Hassan Saada was jailed for attempted rape after attacking restaurant workers in the Olympic Village.
Four years earlier, in London, two Jordanian Paralympic powerlifters, Omar Sami Qaradhi, and Motaz Al Junaidi, were expelled, along with their coach, following allegations of voyeurism, indecent exposure, and sexual assault. Qaradhi later pleaded guilty to assault in court and apologized for the “indignity, hurt, and distress” he had caused.
Some Olympic Villages have installed sexual assault centers where physical and mental health services are available. Additionally, the International Olympic Committee provides resource materials to competitors and staff detailing how to prevent harassment and abuse and what to do if these occur.
Experts say that sexual abuse is also prevalent in cities hosting major sporting events and that human trafficking is routinely implicated.
