US biathletes fear retaliation for speaking out about sexual harassment, report finds

American biathletes face “misogynistic” behavior while racing and fear reprisals if they report their concerns, a study by an independent researcher has found. contractor hired to assess athlete safety.

The investigation into American biathlon was ordered after a Associated press report that a female team member was sexually harassed and abused for years while racing on the World Cup circuit.

“It’s very uncomfortable as a woman … to be in that environment,” one biathlete said in the report released Monday, which did not identify the athletes to maintain confidentiality.

Many biathletes said they feared that if they complained they would be denied training opportunities, financial support and selection for relay teams, according to an external auditor’s assessment. Vestry Laight.

The AP reported in January that a American Center for SafeSport Research showed that twice Olympian Joanne Reid was sexually harassed by a ski wax technician from 2016 to 2021. Wax technicians play a crucial role in biathlonthat combines cross-country skiing with shooting competitions.

SafeSport suspended Wax Technology for six months and placed him on probation through December. US Biathlon dismissed him from the team and ordered the audit.

Researchers interviewed athletes, parents, coaches and staff and studied U.S. biathlon policy as part of the evaluation. They also sent a confidential survey to 57 biathletes who have competed since 2020.

The report found that the US Biathlon Association’s code of conduct did not provide clear examples of prohibited behavior. There was also no way to file complaints online or anonymously, making it less likely that people would come forward, the report said.

The survey found that while 92% of male respondents said they felt comfortable raising concerns about athlete safety, only 52% of women did so. Women were much more likely to say they feared negative consequences for their career if they reported misconduct – 57% compared to 8% of men.

Additionally, 43% of women said they had observed behavior that violated the USBA code in the past year, compared to 25% of men.

Biathlon officials said they were adopting an “action plan” in response to the report, including workshops with staff and athletes to define core values ​​and create a way to measure progress.

“We have full confidence in USBA leadership to make the necessary improvements and build a culture where athletes and our community can thrive,” Bob Hall, USBA board chairman, told members in an email .

Reid told the AP Tuesday that she believes U.S. Biathlon’s response has been inadequate, calling it “mostly a promise to develop metrics and plans without anything concrete to hold them accountable to.”

She said it was “really upsetting” to see how many women had witnessed abuse but were afraid to report it.

Many athletes interviewed said they feared reprisals if they reported abuse after the fact what happened to Reid. Six months after SafeSport’s investigation, US Biathlon retroactively changed its pre-qualification criteria for the World Cup team – and Reid was excluded. The change did not affect the status of anyone else on the team.

American biathlon CEO Jack Gierhart told the AP in January that the World Cup rules change was not retaliation.

SafeSport has launched a new investigation into whether Gierhart and High Performance Director Lowell Bailey retaliated against Reid by changing the qualifying criteria. Gierhart said in an interview Tuesday that he could not comment on that investigation.

Athletes interviewed for the audit said the way U.S. biathlon officials handled the Reid case left them feeling powerless and unsafe.

“It was clearly demonstrated by USBA that if an athlete, especially a female athlete, were to bring up this topic, he would be risking his spot on the team for the next year,” one athlete wrote in the survey.

“Not speaking out is the way to go if you want to continue competing for USBA,” said another.