Dropped Olympic track cyclist Jess Varnish has made damaging new claims about Team GB coach Shane Sutton, above, which he has strongly denied.
Dropped from the Team GB squad for the Olympics, track rider Jess Varnish is refusing to go quietly it seems.
The 25-year-old has already claimed she was dropped for criticising the Team GB set-up and refuted suggestions by British Cycling's technical director Shane Sutton she had lost her place on performance grounds.
And having now expanded on her departure from the Olympic set-up ahead of the Rio Games, Varnish has made some serious claims against Sutton widely reported in the British media.
She says when she went to British Cycling’s track base at the Manchester Velodrome to collect her personal items after being told her contract was not being extended, she asked to see the performance data which resulted in her being let go.
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And it was at that point that she alleges Sutton told her to “go and have a baby”. She also says he once made inappropriate comments about her body.
“I saw Shane and Iain (Dyer, head coach) and asked if I could have some of the information,” she said of requesting the performance data in Manchester.
“They couldn’t give it to me and said I’d been on the programme too long, that I was too old at the age of 25. Shane said that I should just move on and go and have a baby.”
Varnish's partner Liam Phillips is set to represent Britain, under Sutton, in BMX in Rio; a fact that will give this controversy further oxygen in the media.
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Varnish, left, with Victoria Pendleton after winning the team sprint gold at the UCI World Cup in 2012 in world record time
Varnish also said of Sutton: “After 2012 I was told that, ‘with an ass like mine I couldn’t change position within the team sprint’. It basically implies the stronger woman has to go in ‘man one’ position because I’m quite glute dominant, shall we say.”
Sutton has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
“I wholeheartedly deny that I said or did anything other than act with complete professionalism in my dealings with Jess,” he said in a statement.
“As with all other riders on the track programme, she was subject to a performance review following the worlds and the data did not justify Jess retaining a lottery-funded place on the podium programme as an athlete with medal potential in this Olympic cycle or the next.
“Jess has been a great athlete to work with and it’s important to me that the valuable contribution she made to British Cycling and women’s cycling during her time on the Great Britain Cycling Team is not forgotten.”
British Cycling issued a statement on releasing Varnish after the rider had claimed politics was at the centre of her being let go rather than any shortcomings with her riding.
“Following a post-world championships review of every rider on the track programme the decision was made not to renew Jess’s place based on performances in training and competition and on a projection of capability for a medal in Tokyo. The decision was upheld by an evaluation committee following an appeal by Jess.
“At no point in the performance review, the appeal process or in subsequent correspondence did Jess raise concerns about sexism or any other form of discriminatory behaviour in the Great Britain Cycling Team.
“However, we are fully committed to the principles and active promotion of equality of opportunity. As such, we treat any such allegations with the utmost seriousness and we will be contacting Jess to offer to discuss her concerns in full.”
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