Banned coach siting at Olympic triathlon adds more negative media to Games events
Controversial coach worked with China team and women's silver medalist from Switzerland
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www.teamtbb.com
Despite two days of exciting racing and huge crowds that seemed to lift the sport’s profile here in Paris, the controversy over the water quality and current in the water almost overshadowed the impressive exploits of the athletes. Now, adding to the negative press around the Olympic triathlon events is the news that controversial coach Brett Sutton was accredited for the event by the Chinese Triathlon Federation – he’s been coaching that program for a few years. Sutton is also Swiss silver medalist Julie Derron’s coach.
“Coach of triathlon medalist was a child sex offender,” read the Times headline.
“Second known child sex offender participating at the Olympics outed: Australian coach of women’s triathlon medallist pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl,” the Daily Mail wrote in its very long header.
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Sutton was coaching Australia’s national team when he was arrested in 1997 for sexually assaulting a minor. In 1987 he had been involved with a 14-year-old when he was 27. He eventually confessed to having had sexual relations with the girl, and was given a two-year suspended sentence. He was banned for three years by the International Triathlon Union (now World Triathlon) and given a lifetime ban by the Australian Olympic Committee. In 2021 USA Triathlon issued a lifetime ban to Sutton as well.
Sutton continued coaching, though, and went on to work with a number of world champions at all distances. Four-time Kona champion Chrissie Wellington worked with Sutton through her first two world championship titles, and five-time Ironman and 70.3 world champion, Daniela Ryf, is also coached by Sutton. His Olympic resume is equally as impressive – he worked with London gold and Rio silver medalist Nicola Spirig (pictured below with Derron and Sutton), and also coached 2008 gold medalist Emma Snowsill.
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His resume just added another silver medalist to the list – Switzerland’s Julie Derron finished behind France’s Cassandre Beaugrand and outsprinted Beth Potter (GBR) at last Wednesday’s individual race.
It was photos posted of Sutton and Derron celebrating after the race that set the media abuzz here in Paris. There has been lots of media attention paid to Steven van de Velde, the Dutch beach volleyball athlete who was convicted for the rape of a 12-year-old girl in 2016 when he was 19. van de Velde served 13 months of a four-year sentence.
On Monday Canadian Olympic sprinter Andre De Grasse’s coach Rana Reider had his accreditation removed by the Canadian Olympic Committee after it “became aware of three law suits accusing Reider of sexual and emotional abuse,” according to a story posted on the Canadian Running Magazine website.
