The American coach of Olympic champions Andre De Grasse and Marcell Jacobs has been kicked out of the Paris Games.
Rana Reider was investigated for alleged sexual misconduct by the U.S. Center for SafeSport and placed on a one-year probation that ended in May. He was accredited for the Summer Games through the Canadian Olympic Committee for his personal work with De Grasse, the defending 200-meter champion. He’s also the personal coach of Jacobs, the Italian who won the 100 meters in Tokyo three years ago, and several other sprinters.
“The decision to provide him with that access was based on the understanding that his probation with the U.S. Center for SafeSport ended in May this year, that he had no other suspensions or sanctions, and otherwise met our eligibility requirements,” the Canadian Olympic Committee said Monday.
“On Sunday August 4th we learned of new information about the appropriateness of Mr. Reider remaining accredited by Team Canada at the Paris 2024 Games. In discussion with Athletics Canada, it was agreed that Mr. Reider’s accreditation be revoked,” the Canadian Olympic body added.
The Times of London reported Sunday about a lawsuit filed in Florida by athletes accusing Reider of misconduct. Reider’s lawyer, Ryan Stevens, told The Guardian that Reider has no current sanctions against him, and that the complaints in the lawsuit were malicious.
With Reider out of the Olympics, De Grasse won’t have his coach with him when he attempts to defend his gold in the 200 semifinals and possibly final on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
“He’s a very loose guy,” said Glenroy Gilbert, the head coach for Athletics Canada. “Andre is fine. He’s fine with it. He’s going to be ready to run tomorrow. … He understands our position.
“We’re making sure that we remove the distraction and focus on performance,” Gilbert added.
Jacobs finished fifth in the 100 on Sunday and will also be attempting to defend gold with Italy’s 4×100 relay team.
Athletics Canada also suspended Reider when the investigation began three years ago. De Grasse eventually began working with Reider again.