Wednesday 27 April 2016

No Place For Discrimination

British Cycling's technical director Shane Sutton has resigned over allegations of sexual discrimination and using derogatory names for the Paralympic cyclists, calling them 'gimps' and 'wobblies'.
Mr Sutton denies the allegations but has quit to 'give British cyclists time to prepare with a different boss, ahead of the Rio Olympics in the summer' and that the allegations had become a distraction and he believes that 'it is in the best interests of British Cycling for me to step down from my position as technical director'.
A female cyclist, Jessica Varnish, has claimed Sutton made sexist comments towards her including saying that she had 'a fat arse' and telling her to "go and have a baby" when told by the Australian director that her contract was not going to renewed.
Darren Kenny, one of Britain’s most decorated para-cyclists, claims to have heard members of the disability team referred to in highly derogatory terms by Sutton and Victoria Pendleton has backed up Varnish's allegations of sexism from the director.
British Cycling chief executive Ian Drake said that he understood Shane's decision to stand down and 'his primary focus has always been the athletes'.
It may have a detrimental effect on our cycling team at the Olympics but a small price to pay to rid ourselves of another dinosaur still living in the dark ages and a reminder that discrimination has no place in the modern world.

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