De Grasse's coach booted from Olympics amid abuse allegations

Aug 6 2024, 2:07 pm

Canadian track star Andre De Grasse will be without his coach for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

On Tuesday, The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) revoked the accreditation of Rana Reider, the personal coach of De Grasse as well as other athletes at the Games. That effectively bans him from all Olympic venues, facilities, and practices.

A COC statement says the decision comes after “new information” emerged regarding the appropriateness of Reider’s accreditation.

The American track and field coach was previously on probation with the U.S. Center for SafeSport until May of this year upon being investigated for alleged sexual misconduct.

The COC initially accredited him for the ongoing Olympics based on the belief that he had no other suspensions or sanctions against him. While the COC did not disclose the specifics of the new information, it did confirm that Reider’s accreditation was limited to serving as a personal coach with access to athletic warm-up and training areas.

De Grasse cut ties with the California native in 2022 while the coach was being investigated for sexual misconduct, but later returned to him.

All allegations against Reider have not yet been proven in court. The coach has not been charged with a crime.

On Monday, De Grasse, 29, kept his Olympic title defence alive, advancing to the semi-finals of the men’s 200m dash.

The Scarborough, Ontario native finished second in his first-round heat, recording a time of 20.30 seconds. The only competitor to outrun De Grasse in this heat was the recently crowned Olympic champion in the 100-meter dash, Noah Lyles, who posted a time of 20.19 seconds.

He will race again in the men’s 200m semis on Wednesday.

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