British cyclist Jess Varnish is suing UK Sport and British Cycling "for sex discrimination, detriment suffered for whistleblowing, victimisation and unfair dismissal," according to Alyson Rudd of the LONDON TIMES. In what could be a "landmark case for all publicly funded athletes," Varnish, who "controversially lost her podium funding last year," was told at a preliminary court hearing last week that she "could proceed with her claim to be regarded as having been employed by British Cycling and UK Sport and therefore owed the full legal obligations due to her as an employee." Former British Cycling Technical Dir Shane Sutton allegedly told Varnish to "go have a baby." He denied the claims but later resigned from his post. Although she was expected to take legal action against British Cycling, she has expanded her litigation to include UK Sport. A hearing has been scheduled for April to determine if the 26-year-old, who now runs a coffee shop with two fellow Olympians, Fran Halsall and Liam Phillips, "should be considered to have been employed by both governing bodies." If that is determined, the extent of any damages won would be "significantly greater and would pave the way for other athletes to expect better treatment when they bring grievances." UK Sport sought to block the legal action "by issuing a strike out order for the case to be instantly dismissed" but also submitted a costs order and a deposit order against Varnish, which the judge at the preliminary hearing found to be "overly aggressive." All three orders were rejected (LONDON TIMES, 11/10). The BBC's Dan Roan reported a source close to Varnish said, "She's not doing this for money. She's frustrated that neither UK Sport nor British Cycling have changed the gray situation that athletes still remain in. Athletes still have no real rights, no pensions, no grievance and whistleblower procedures, and no course of action, outside of civil action. There are some really deep-rooted issues which she's passionate about." A British Cycling spokesperson said that the organization was "in an ongoing and positive dialogue with Jess and look forward to reaching a resolution which all parties will regard as equitable." UK Sport said, "Because the legal process is still ongoing regarding Jess Varnish we are unable to comment on the issues mentioned at this time" (BBC, 11/10).
'INTIMIDATION' TACTICS: In London, Ben Rumsby reported U.K. Sports Minister Tracey Crouch is "facing a parliamentary grilling" over what have been branded the "intimidation" tactics used by UK Sport against Varnish in her legal action against it and British Cycling. Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee Chair Damian Collins condemned the Olympic and Paralympic funding agency's application to freeze Varnish's assets, which "would have forced her to drop her claim had it been successful." Collins said, "I think it is a form of intimidation to try to get Jess Varnish to drop the case. If UK Sport had succeeded, it would have probably been impossible for Jess Varnish to continue. It's pretty tragic that it's come to this anyway, that Jess Varnish feels that the only option she has in order to pursue her grievance is to take them to court" (TELEGRAPH, 11/10).
