British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association cleared of wrongdoing
- Published
Bobsleigh lost £5m of public funding for the four years up to Beijing 2022 after its 2018 performance
The British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association (BBSA) has been cleared of wrongdoing by an independent investigation into allegations of bullying and racism against the board.
UK Sport launched an investigation after the BBSA was reported by one of its former directors, Colin Rattigan.
Rattigan, who competed for Great Britain at the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics, criticised the investigation in March.
The BBSA said it welcomed the findings.
In a statement, the BBSA said: "The allegations were of a very serious nature: harassment, victimisation, bullying, racial discrimination, financial mismanagement and the falsification of corporate records.
"The discriminatory behaviour was alleged to be against Colin Rattigan, coaches and athletes. Of the eight allegations, not one was substantiated. These allegations came from Colin Rattigan alone.
"We condemn discriminatory behaviour of any kind in the strongest terms and we now hope that we can move forward to do what the board has always intended to do: support athletes and coaches in both sports as they continue their preparations for the season ahead and for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in February 2022."
Rattigan was dismissed after the governing body said he had "fundamentally breached" its code of conduct in what it described as an unrelated development.
Rattigan denied the claim and told BBC Sport earlier this year he had "absolutely no confidence" in the investigation process.
In response to the findings, UK Sport chief executive Sally Munday said: "As a sporting community, it is critical we work together to uphold the highest standards of integrity and conduct and that we take appropriate action when these are called into question.
She added that UK Sport had acknowledged that the review "found no evidence of misconduct".
In 2017, a host of athletes complained of a "toxic atmosphere" in the sport in the lead up to the 2018 Winter Olympic.
The BBSA had £5m of public funding for bobsleigh for the four years up to Beijing 2022 taken away after a disappointing Games in South Korea.
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