The coach of Olympics 200 metre champion Andre De Grasse has reportedly been kicked out of the Paris Games due to sexual abuse allegations. Rana Reider, who is American, had his accreditation withdrawn by Canada’s National Olympic Committee after they learnt of the lawsuit.
Canadian star De Grasse has won six Olympic medals during his illustrious career and clinched the gold in the 200m at the Tokyo Games after clocking a time of 19.62 seconds.
And he booked his place in the semi-finals in Paris after finishing second to Noah Lyles in his heat.
According to The Times, three women have filed lawsuits at a Florida court accusing Reider of sexual and emotional abuse.
One of the athletes has accused Reider of sexual and emotional abuse and harassment, while another has accused the 54-year-old of sexual and verbal harassment.
USA Track & Field chiefs shared this information with Canadian bosses, with the country’s NOC informing Reider that his access to the Games is being taken away.
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Reider, who also coaches ex-100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs and has overseen a number of British stars, has 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 didn’t progress to the showpiece event of that event after finishing fifth in his heat.
Last Friday, Canada’s decision to accredit Reider in the first place was questioned by World Athletics as he had recently served a 12-month probation. The probation was issued by the US Center for SafeSport after Reider admitted to an “imbalance of power” during an intimate relationship with one of his athletes.
De Grasse, 29, became the first Canadian to win a track event in 28 years when he clinched gold three years ago.
And ahead of the Paris Games, he told the Daily Mail: “I’m feeling pretty good, I’m excited. I mean third time’s a charm, that’s what they say. I’m excited to go to Paris and these Games this time around. I’m just pumped up.
“I just want to keep going out there, leave a mark in this sport, and create a legacy that people will look up to and be inspired by. So yeah, I gotta keep going until the wheels fall off, as they say.
“I think for me, I never liked to put a time limit or expiration on how many Olympics I can do. I think my goal and objective is to make it to at least 2028 LA because I feel like that would be a full-circle moment for me. That’s where I kind of started my career.”
Canada are yet to win a medal at the Paris Olympics, with the men’s 200m final scheduled to take place on Thursday.