British Cycling bullying report due Wednesday
The long-awaited independent report on alleged bullying in British Cycling will be published on Wednesday, it was announced.
The report -- which was conducted by a five member panel headed by British Rowing chair Annamarie Phelps -- was launched in April last year after rider Jess Varnish accused coaches of sexism and bullying.
British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton resigned after the allegations by Varnish, who said he told her to "get on with having a baby" after she was cut from the team last year.
Varnish and her team-mate Katy Marchant had both lashed out at the British set-up after they failed to qualify for last year's Olympics -- where the British team went on to enjoy huge success on the track.
The report -- co-commissioned by UK Sport and British Cycling -- though is likely to have the sport's chiefs on tenterhooks as a draft report leaked to the 'Daily Mail' in March spoke of a 'culture of fear' and some staff had been 'bullied'.
It was claimed British Cycling looked to change the conclusions of grievance officer Alex Russell's inquiry into Sutton in a bid to retain the highly-regarded Australian.
"The actions of the British Cycling board in that regard are shocking and inexcusable," the paper quoted the review as saying.
In response, British Cycling admitted it did not pay "sufficient care and attention" to the wellbeing of staff and athletes at the expense of winning medals.
However, Brian Cookson, president of the sport's global governing body the International Cycling Union and who had been the British Cycling supremo for 17 years until 2013, told AFP in April he didn't recognise the accounts of a "culture of fear".
He said it was "not a picture I recognise".
"But of course nobody would want to see anybody bullied or intimidated. So, let's see what the report says when it finally comes out," he said.
However, Cookson added elite sport was always unlikely to be a "comfortable place".
"If it's comfortable, it's probably not going to be successful."