Toni Minichiello, the former track and field coach who guided Jessica Ennis-Hill to a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, he was forever banned from training athletes after an investigation revealed sexual misconduct, bullying and psychological abuse.
UK Athletics (UKA), the governing body for UK athletics, has revealed numerous “Violations” of his 15-year coaching license. In a statement, the disciplinary panel concluded that the behavior of Minichiello, who was suspended last year, had serious consequences for the mental health and well-being of the athletes and resulted in a “breakdown of trust”, according to The Guardian.
The same newspaper also guarantees that Ennis-Hill is not among this group of athletes. The Daily Mail confirms that the investigation into the allegations against him was carried out in a security action by former UKA chief executive Joanna Coates.
During the disciplinary process detailed by The Guardian, the Independent Case Management Group (ICM), community support services for children and adults, finds that violations of his coaching license are the constant imitations of sexual acts and female partsand in conversation with his athletes “that he was supposed to take care of”, he referred to his own penis “like a spicy Italian sausage”.
That said, the same group quoted by the English newspaper assured that Minichiello disrespected the personal life of his students, with intrusive questions, even going so far as to ask one of the athletes “if she had ever had sexual relations during a session of Weight training”.
Minichiello is also accused of touching athletes inappropriately. For all these reasons, the UKA will not allow the coach to retrain any athlete or team. “The issuance of a coach’s license is a representation on behalf of the UKA that the coach in question can trust the athletes to fulfill his responsibility,” read the statement quoted by Sky News.
Source: Observadora
