According to an investigation by an independent contractor hired to evaluate athlete safety, biathletes in the United States encounter misogynistic behavior during competition and fear reprisals if they voice their concerns.
After an Associated Press report revealed that a female team member had endured years of sexual harassment and abuse while competing in the World Cup, U.S. Biathlon was instructed to conduct an inquiry.
One biathlete stated in the report, which was made public on Monday but did not name the athletes to maintain confidentiality, that it is quite uncomfortable for a woman to be in that setting.
According to the examination by outside auditor Vestry Laight, many biathletes expressed concern that they would be excluded from relay team selection, training opportunities, and financial support if they complained.
According to a January AP story, a U.S. Center for Safe Sport investigation revealed that from 2016 to 2021, two-time Olympian Joanne Reid had experienced sexual harassment at the hands of a ski wax technician. In the biathlon, which blends cross-country skiing and target shooting, wax technicians are essential.
SafeSport placed the wax technician on probation through December and suspended him for six months. He was dismissed from the squad by U.S. Biathlon, which also mandated the audit.
As part of the review, researchers looked at U.S. Biathlon policies and spoke with athletes, parents, coaches, and staff. Additionally, they emailed 57 biathletes who have participated since 2020 a private survey.
According to the report, the U.S. Biathlon Association’s code of conduct lacked specific instances of unacceptable conduct. Additionally, there was no anonymous or online complaint filing option, which reduced the likelihood that anyone would come forward, the report stated.
According to the survey, only 52% of women felt comfortable voicing concerns about athlete safety, compared to 92% of male respondents. Compared to men, women were much more likely to say they felt that reporting wrongdoing would have a detrimental impact on their employment (57% vs. 8%).
Furthermore, compared to 25% of males, 43% of women reported having witnessed behavior that violated the USBA code in the previous 12 months.
In reaction to the findings, Biathlon officials announced that they were implementing an action plan that would include staff and athlete workshops to establish core values and develop a means of tracking advancement.
In an email to members, USBA board chair Bob Hall stated, “We have complete faith in the leadership of USBA to make the required changes and create a culture that will allow the athletes and our community to flourish.”
Reid told the AP on Tuesday that she thinks U.S. Biathlon’s answer is insufficient, describing it as essentially a pledge to create strategies and measurements but lacking any tangible standards by which they can be held.
She claimed that the number of women who had seen abuse but were afraid to report it was quite alarming.
After what happened to Reid, a number of athletes who were interviewed expressed fear of reprisals for reporting abuse.Reid was booted off after U.S. Biathlon retrospectively altered the requirements for being pre-qualified for the World Cup squad six months after SafeSport’s probe. No one else on the team was impacted by the change.
In January, Jack Gierhart, the CEO of U.S. Biathlon, told the AP that the World Cup rule change was not a form of reprisal.
To find out if Gierhart and High Performance Director Lowell Bailey changed the qualifying requirements in retaliation against Reid, SafeSport has opened a fresh inquiry. In an interview on Tuesday, Gierhart stated that he was unable to respond to that question.
According to athletes interviewed for the audit, many felt afraid and helpless because of the way U.S. Biathlon officials handled the Reid issue.
One athlete stated in the poll that USBA had made it quite evident that if an athlete—especially a female athlete—were to bring up this subject, they would jeopardize their place on the squad for the following season.
Another remarked that the best way to continue competing for USBA is to remain silent.
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