On Monday, the coach of Canadian Olympic sprinter Andre De Grasse, Rana Reider, was removed from the 2024 Paris Olympics after the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) became aware of three lawsuits accusing Reider of sexual and emotional abuse.
According to The Times, three women have filed lawsuits in a Florida court. One athlete accused Reider of sexual and emotional abuse and harassment, while another accused the 54-year-old of sexual and verbal harassment. The Canadian Olympic Committee accredited Reider for these Games as the personal coach of the defending 200m Olympic champion.
The Canadian Olympic Committee issued the following statement regarding Reider’s accreditation status:
“Rana Reider was accredited as a personal coach, with access only to the athletics warm-up area and training venues. The decision to provide him with that access was based on the understanding that his probation with the U.S. Center for Safe Sport ended in May this year, that he had no other suspensions or sanctions, and otherwise met our eligibility requirements. On Sunday, Aug. 4, 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.”
Reider, who also coaches Tokyo 2020 100m champion Marcell Jacobs, had been refused accreditation for the past two World Championships, but he was at the Stade de France on Sunday to see Jacobs finish fifth in the 100m final. De Grasse did not progress to the final for the first time in his career.
The COC’s decision to accredit Reider was questioned by World Athletics, given that Reider had recently served a 12-month probation with the U.S. Center for Safe Sport, a governing body for sports coaching in the U.S. The probation was issued after Reider admitted to an “imbalance of power” during an intimate relationship with one of his athletes.
De Grasse previously left Reider in 2022 and moved to Orlando to train with Irish sprint coach John Coghlan. Last fall, De Grasse decided to return to Reider to create a better environment for their children, including access to better schools and extracurricular activities in the Jacksonville area, believing that the “distractions” from the previous season had been resolved.
De Grasse advanced to the men’s 200m semi-finals on Monday night, placing second in his heat behind newly-minted Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles. The 200m semi-finals will take place on Tuesday evening at the Stade de France
Athletics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are taking place from Aug. 1-11. Today’s coverage is brought to you by Canadian Running and New Balance Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.
