By Mitch Phillips
LONDON, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Canadian officials have issued a staunch defence of their decision to withdraw four athletes from a skeleton race on Sunday, which meant that American Katie Uhlaender’s hope of making a sixth Olympics disappeared, despite winning the race.
Uhlaender, 41, a double world champion with an Olympic best of fourth in 2014, was a long shot to make the Games, but had still been hoping to get in via ranking points.
She won the development race in Lake Placid – her last opportunity before the January 18 cut-off – but, due to the Canadian withdrawals, the field dropped to a size that reduced the number of ranking points available, ending Uhlaender’s qualification hopes.
Uhlaender told dw.com that she had been told by Canada’s head coach Joe Cecchini on Friday of the plan for the withdrawals.
“I cried when I found out he went through with this plan,” she said. “I didn’t know if it hurt more that my friend of 20 years just nailed my coffin, my Olympic dream is over. Or, that my best friend of 20 years is doing something so horrible that hurts so many people.”
Uhlaender said she understood that Cecchini, who competed in skeleton for Italy at the 2018 Winter Olympics, made the decision to ensure Canada’s Jane Channell could not miss out on qualification.
BCS DEFENDS DECISION
However, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) offered a robust defence of the decision, telling Reuters that it was made with “careful consideration of athlete health, safety, and long-term development, as well as the needs of the program as a whole”.
“The Lake Placid event presented unique circumstances, as it consisted of three races in a single week rather than the standard two. Four of our athletes entered in the event are young and relatively new to the sport. All experienced a particularly challenging week on the track,” it said in a statement.
“It was determined that continuing to race these athletes was not in their best interests. As a result, they were withdrawn from further competition at that venue this weekend. Our two most experienced athletes continued to compete.”
The BCS said it recognised that withdrawing athletes had an unintended impact on the size of the field and the number of development points allocated for the event.
“However, it is well understood within the sport that development circuits do not carry fixed points,” it added. “The National Skeleton Program has always treated the development circuit as exactly that – a developmental environment – not a pathway for Olympic qualification. BCS remains confident that its actions were appropriate, transparent, and aligned with both athlete welfare and the integrity of the sport.”
The IBSF told Reuters: “Following the recent discussions around the withdrawal of several Canadian skeleton athletes at last weekend’s IBSF North American Cup in Lake Placid, the IBSF has requested its Integrity Unit to conduct an investigation into the incident.”
USA Bobsled/Skeleton said in a statement: “USABS is committed to fair play and to protecting the rights of athletes. At the same time, we recognise the importance of maintaining positive and respectful international relationships within our sport. Our understanding is that the IBSF is currently reviewing the matter, and we will await their decision.”
The withdrawals also impacted Denmark, Israel and Malta, and their representatives, along with those of the U.S., raised the issue with the athletes’ commission of the IOC.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ed Osmond)
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