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Jess Varnish: British Cycling boss told me to 'go and have a baby'

Track rider hopes for reinstatement as Shane Sutton sexist allegations row continues

Jess Varnish is said to be still training for the Rio Olympic Games despite being dropped by British Cycling - as she hopes she may yet be reinstated.

A source told the Telegraph that she had to resort to the gym to keep fit, since her track bike, property of British Cycling, had been taken back.

She is believed to want a ‘ride-off’ against Katy Marchant, as she feels it is her instead who deserves the spot on the women's sprint team.

This weekend we reported how a bitter war of words has broken out in British Cycling after the track rider Jess Varnish complained she was told by technical director Shane Sutton to “go and have a baby” after being dropped from the Olympic programme.

Last week we reported how Sutton said the decision had been taken “purely on performance grounds.”

He denies the claims she is now making, along with earlier assertions that she was dropped because she criticised the coaches in early March.

British Cycling have said this morning that they will be contacting the cyclist.

UK Sport have also weighed into the debate, and a spokesman said: 'We take any allegations of sexism among World-Class Programme staff or athletes extremely seriously and welcome British Cycling's decision to investigate these claims with Jess.'

Speaking trackside last week, Varnish expressed disappointment with how the team’s management had tinkered with the squad.

“I feel sick. We have been basically playing catch up through bad decisions and bad luck. How many more times can I keep putting my life on hold, making these choices for my career, if it’s not going to pay off, through no fault of our own?

“There’s been people put out for races, say the European Championships last year … it’s great they’ve been given an opportunity in major championships and to try to qualify the ‘A team’ for a place at Olympic Games, but they’re not there yet.

In addition, the 25-year-old has claimed that Sutton told her she was “too old”.

Now, she told the Guardian, when she went to Manchester Velodrome to collect her belongings after her contract was not renewed she asked to see the performance data which had led to her being dropped.

“I saw Shane and Iain and asked if I could have some of the [performance] information,” she said. “They couldn’t give it to me and said I’d been on the programme too long, that I was too old at the age of 25. Shane said that I should just move on and go and have a baby.”

She added: “After 2012 I was told that, “with an ass like mine I couldn’t change position within the team sprint”. It basically implies the stronger woman has to go in “man one” position because I’m quite glute dominant, shall we say.”

In a statement British Cycling said : “Following a post-world championships review of every rider on the track programme the decision was made not to renew Jess’s place based on performances in training and competition and on a projection of capability for a medal in Tokyo. The decision was upheld by an evaluation committee following an appeal by Jess.

“At no point in the performance review, the appeal process or in subsequent correspondence did Jess raise concerns about sexism or any other form of discriminatory behaviour in the Great Britain Cycling Team.

“However, we are fully committed to the principles and active promotion of equality of opportunity. As such, we treat any such allegations with the utmost seriousness and we will be contacting Jess to offer to discuss her concerns in full.”

Sutton, in his own statement, said: “I wholeheartedly deny that I said or did anything other than act with complete professionalism in my dealings with Jess.

“As with all other riders on the track programme, she was subject to a performance review following the worlds and the data did not justify Jess retaining a lottery-funded place on the podium programme as an athlete with medal potential in this Olympic cycle or the next.

“Jess has been a great athlete to work with and it’s important to me that the valuable contribution she made to British Cycling and women’s cycling during her time on the Great Britain Cycling Team is not forgotten.”

Sutton said that if anything her performances had deteriorated in recent years.

“Jess is 25. She has been with us a long, long time. She qualified 17th in the match sprint [in London] so her chances of medalling in Rio were very very slim if not none. And she hasn’t gone as quick as she went three years ago … There is no point carrying on and wasting UK Sport’s money on someone who is not going to medal going forward.”

Sutton has also felt it necessary to speak with Varnish’s boyfriend, 2013 BMX world champion, Liam Phillips, about not renewing her contract.

“I had a long chat with him to try to make him understand that we don’t take these decisions lightly. It wasn’t as though we ‘got rid’ of Jess.  It’s just that it was up for renewal and we didn’t renew it.”

 

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15 comments

Avatar
gethinceri | 7 years ago
0 likes

Hmmm, unfair dismissal claim has a £ cap, I think. Sexual discrimination is uncapped?

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fustuarium replied to gethinceri | 7 years ago
0 likes
gethinceri wrote:

Hmmm, unfair dismissal claim has a £ cap, I think. Sexual discrimination is uncapped?

In theory, but there are guidelines for lower,middle,upper awards for injury to feelings and they're not as much as you may think given the sensational cases that make the headlines (see Vento guidelines).

Avatar
OldnSlo | 7 years ago
2 likes

Comments like that belong to another time and place; no not the fifties - middle earth!. 

 

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Yorky-M | 7 years ago
2 likes

Storm over nothing.

Jess  didnt make the cut and Sutton is getting the blame shifted as the information wasnt given with flowers.

 

 

Move on  everyone

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OldRidgeback | 7 years ago
8 likes

Having spoken at length with one of Team GB's high profile riders at a training session the person was running at my club last year, I've heard quite a bit about how BC operates and it isn't all good.

I've also seen how BC has blocked two of the UK's elite maile riders, Tre White and Quillan Isidore, from competing at the BMX Worlds. Other countries are sending up to six riders to the BMX Worlds but the UK is sending only the two.

What's happened to Jess Varnish does not particularly surprise me to be honest. I'm rather scpetical of the way BC operates and some of the decisions it makes.. Certainly for the BMX riders, a lot of the coaching seems to be based on track and road cycling thinking, which isn't necessarily appropriate. In BMX we also have had BC telling us that younger riders should not compete, which is absolutely absurd.

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kitkat replied to OldRidgeback | 7 years ago
0 likes

OldRidgeback wrote:

I've also seen how BC has blocked two of the UK's elite maile riders, Tre White and Quillan Isidore, from competing at the BMX Worlds. Other countries are sending up to six riders to the BMX Worlds but the UK is sending only the two.

Yes, BC seem to do this quite a bit which seems distinclty unfair to riders who by all means are great riders but due to the financial situation vs potential to win, riders get a green light or not.

With BMX being such a battle royal you would think fielding as many riders are possible would increase your chances therefore be used as a strategy

Avatar
Grizzerly | 7 years ago
5 likes

Certainly,  if the data supports this decision,  then the rider must have the right to see it.

 

Perhaps  Shane Sutton could explain why a top rider's form has dipped so drastically since he has been in charge.   Maybe his contract should be reviewed. 

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Mike McBeth | 7 years ago
3 likes

After reading Nicole Cooke's amazing biography and the dreadful nonsense that she had to put up with - this seems very plausible. If someone in my workplace said this kind of thing they'd be sacked (quite rightly). 

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mattsccm | 7 years ago
2 likes

Couple of thoughts.

Why should we see that data? Possibly Varnish should, possibly not, depending on many things that are nowt to do with the public.

Possibly this is just words stirred up by the media and this site is darn good at that. She has stated that she wants a family so she has been told that she can now go and do it. Thats the obvious thing to say.  "Arse" or " your physical make up/glutes" might well mean the same thing and if thats the case being upset over words is pathetic.

More to the point this is yet another case of people spouting pointlessly without knowing 100%

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Gus T | 7 years ago
0 likes

Depending upon how her contract was phrased, she may have grounds for unfair dismissal, so it seems strange to me that this is being fought in the media not through legal channels. Just saying!

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Notsofast | 7 years ago
10 likes

Australian in sexism shocker!

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tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
2 likes

Why can't we see the data if everything's above board?

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zanf | 7 years ago
5 likes

Quote:

“I saw Shane and Iain and asked if I could have some of the [performance] information,” she said. “They couldn’t give it to me

Its quite telling when they cant give the data to prove their claim that she wasnt up to the job.

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Legin | 7 years ago
2 likes

A lot of people who know the parties concerned will know the truth; the question is will they speak up in support of Jess Varnish or keep their heads down?

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only1redders replied to Legin | 7 years ago
1 like

Legin wrote:

A lot of people who know the parties concerned will know the truth; the question is will they speak up in support of Jess Varnish or keep their heads down?

Cryptic! So, do YOU know the truth then? Or are you hearing this all 2nd hand?

I guess it won't be until Rio has been and gone that the methods used/decisions made by the track team will have been deemed a success or not

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