Reider has coached British sprinters Adam Gemili and Daryll Neita
Several British athletes have been told to stop working with American coach Rana Reider while the US Centre for SafeSport investigates a number of complaints of sexual misconduct against him.
Reider has coached several leading British athletes during his career – both track and field competitors – including British duo Adam Gemili and Daryll Neita.
“SafeSport hasn’t issued a notice of allegations to Rana,” Ryan Stevens, Reider’s lawyer, told the Guardian.
“The suspicious timing and motives attached to these unproven attacks on Rana’s reputation need to be fully investigated and vetted, and they haven’t been.”
Despite the allegations, the 51-year-old told the Guardian the investigation was “news to me”.
UK Athletics released a statement telling its athletes to “cease all association” with the coach until the investigation is completed.
It read: “As part of UK Athletics commitment to ensuring appropriate conduct is consistent across all areas without any exceptions, we completed additional due diligence where issues have been raised about the support personnel of UK athletes.
“Following information from the US Centre for SafeSport that multiple complaints of sexual misconduct have been made against coach Rana Reider and that an investigation in the US is imminent, UK Athletics has informed UK athletes currently being coached by him to cease all association until the conclusion of this process.”
Sprinters Gemili and Neita have both been informed that, should they remain part of Reider’s training group, their membership of UK Athletics’ World Class Programme, and associated funding, will be suspended.
Despite this, UK Athletics has insisted that it would work with them to secure alternative coaching.
Gemili, 28, is a four-time European Championships Gold medallist, whilst 25-year-old Neita is a two-time World Championships Silver medallist.
As well as the British sprinters, Reider has played a signifiant role in the success of Olympic 200m champion Andre de Grasse and four-time triple jump world champion Christian Taylor.
The former UK Athletics employee trains athletes at the Tumbleweed Track Club in Jacksonville, having moved away from his former training base in the Netherlands recently.
The US Centre for SafeSport – who investigate claims of emotional, physical and sexual misconduct in sport – has not released a statement relating to Reider.
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