Rana Reider, the coach of sprinters Marcell Jacobs and Andre De Grasse at the Olympic Games, has had his accreditation revoked due to safeguarding issues and allegations of sexual and emotional abuse.
Sources informed the Guardian that Reider’s “P” accreditation—granted to those deemed essential for athlete preparation at the Olympics—was withdrawn immediately on Monday afternoon.
Ryan Stevens, Reider’s lawyer, later confirmed that Canada’s Olympic committee had notified him that they would be sending an official letter regarding the accreditation withdrawal.
In a statement, Stevens criticized what he perceived as a lack of due process for Reider, claimed one of the complainants was acting with malice, and expressed concern for the performances of the athletes he was still scheduled to coach.
On Friday, World Athletics questioned Canada’s decision to accredit Reider given his recent 12-month probation after admitting to being sanctioned by US SafeSport for a relationship that “presented a power imbalance” with one of his athletes while stating that they could not intervene.
The Times reported on Sunday that three women, including one who remains anonymous, had filed lawsuits against Reider in a circuit court in Broward County, Florida. One athlete, named in the court documents, accused Reider of sexual and emotional abuse, while another, also named, accused him of sexual and verbal harassment.
The Times further indicated that USA Track & Field had implemented an indefinite safety plan for Reider as a coach. Stevens confirmed to the Times that Reider was represented by legal counsel in the state lawsuits.
In light of the accreditation withdrawal, a statement from his lawyer claimed that Reider had been “unjustly deprived of his Olympic coaching credential based on allegations from years ago in a lawsuit by former athletes seeking financial gain.” It added that there were currently no sanctions against him from the US Center for SafeSport, USA Track & Field, or Athletics Canada, and that no formal investigation into the new allegations supported his credential’s withdrawal.
“It’s a regrettable day for the Olympics when a governing body prioritizes the fear of negative publicity over the athletes,” Stevens stated. He also confirmed that “Coach Reider has no pending sanctions from any governing body.”
“The ones suffering in all this are the athletes who are now left to compete without their chosen coach, including one of Canada’s top sprinters,” Stevens added.
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Reider, who helped Canada’s De Grasse win the Olympic 200m title and currently coaches Jacobs, Italy’s Tokyo 100m champion, is considered among the elite sprint coaches globally. However, he was denied accreditation for the 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships. Additionally, in 2022, he was cautioned by police for unauthorized access to the athlete warm-up area prior to the World 100m final.
The Guardian first reported on the US SafeSport investigation into Reider regarding sexual misconduct claims in November 2021, after which it was revealed that he had an alleged affair with a British athlete 26 years his junior while serving as the lead for UK Athletics’ sprints and relays, leading to his 12-month probation.
UKA later confirmed that it had conducted an internal investigation into Reider in 2014, resulting in his contract being terminated “shortly thereafter.” It also stated that any current inquiry would be handled differently.
