The Australian cyclist won silver in Rio 2016. But now the sporting authorities have had to come out in defence of Amanda Reid after her disabilities have been questioned.
Secretly filmed video used to question true extent of disabilities
An Australian paracyclist who won a silver medal at the Rio Paralympics has been accused by her former coach of exaggerating her disabilities and the symptoms flowing from them.
However, the Australian Paralympic Committee has moved to strongly defend Amanda Reid.
It said her classification as a para-athlete – first as a swimmer and now in cycling – had been conducted by the book.
And it is important to say that she has been approved by the relevant experts to compete in the classifications she has raced in.
Reports on the BBC in Britain and on ABC in Australia have shown video footage (below) of Reid walking to her car and loading it up.
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It has been suggested the video shows she is much more mobile, and her symptoms milder, than in other footage recorded when she knew she was being filmed.
Amanda Reid was first a swimmer and finished 5th in the 100m breaststroke at the London Paralympics 2012.
She then went on to have an international cycling career. The 21-year-old Aboriginal has been lauded for her career in Australia.
However, her former swimming coach has now raised questions about how she has been classified for specific categories based on levels of disability.
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Simon Watkins said Reid was initially classified as an intellectually impaired athlete. She was then reclassified as a visually impaired athlete. And when she rode in Rio she was classified as physically impaired.
Watkins has alleged when Reid was first competing as intellectually impaired her mother asked she be reclassified as having a rare genetic condition with symptoms similar to cerebral palsy.
He said he rebuffed these requests and eventually he ceased being Reid’s coach. However, he says that the following year – in 2015 – she emerged as a visually impaired athlete.
Watkins says despite the fact Reid drove a car, she was in 2015 using a “white stick”. Soon after she stopped swimming and switched to cycling.
She emerged to win silver in the 500m time trial in the C1-3 category on the track in Rio. Watkins alleges the switching of classifications has made a mockery of the classification system.
Classifications featuring athletes with milder disabilities would produce, for example, faster times in timed events.
An athlete who was less disabled than those they were competing against would have a very significant advantage.
However, the Australian Paralympic Committee has now defended Reid, saying she has done nothing wrong.
"The APC has faith in the classification process and is fully satisfied that all requirements have been followed and met relating to Amanda’s international classification under the IPC Classification code and the classification rules of the UCI," it said.
"The APC is aware of Amanda’s multiple impairments and Amanda’s classification throughout her Paralympic career in the sports of cycling and swimming.”
The committee also commented directly on the allegations of coach Simon Watkins, saying others more qualified than him had reviewed Reid and classified her.
"His observations quoted in the BBC article, along with those quoted from unnamed sources, are opinions,” the statement.
“While Amanda’s alleged behaviour referred to in the article (walking to her car – Ed) may raise questions for Mr Watkins, the additional sources quoted and potentially others, the thorough and multi-faceted classification processes that Amanda has undertaken to obtain her international classifications in swimming and cycling are without question when the facts are examined.”
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