British Cycling sack top coach Kevin Stewart for 'inappropriate relationships with riders'

Updated 11/11/2020 at 12:16 GMT

Kevin Stewart, who was the head men's sprint team coach at British Cycling, has been sacked with immediate effect as a result of a "long-term pattern of inappropriate relationships with riders", the governing body announced on Monday. Stewart has apologised and said that his actions were "not acceptable".

British Cycling

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British Cycling have sacked one of their top coaches Kevin Stewart due to 'inappropriate relationships with riders'.

With less than a year to go until the rescheduled Olympic Games in Tokyo, British Cycling, the governing body for one of British sport's most successful Olympic teams, said Kevin Stewart had a "long term pattern of inappropriate relationships with riders", and had engaged in "serious inappropriate use of electronic communication".

British Cycling said it followed repeated warnings to Stewart that his behaviour "fell short of the values and standards expected".

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Stephen Park, performance director for British Cycling, said: "While this has been uncomfortable for everybody concerned, it demonstrates the robustness of the processes we have in place when concerns are raised.

The GB Cycling Team has a clear set of expected behaviours and values and we must hold ourselves and each other to account when we do not meet the standards of behaviour we set as a team.

In response to his sacking, Stewart said: "I wholeheartedly apologise to the team for my actions, which I acknowledge were not acceptable.

"I realised my actions had made my position on the team untenable and had handed in my resignation before being dismissed while on my notice period."

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