Athlete accused of assault is suspended by rowing body

A MALE rower at Leander Club who was previously investigated over an alleged serious sexual assault has been suspended by British Rowing following fresh allegations.

Following ongoing investigations, the governing body has temporarily suspended the man, who is banned from rowing at the club or entering its premises.

The man was one of two male athletes accused of offences against female members at the rowing club, as revealed by ITV News last month.

It is understood the decision to temporarily suspend the athlete does not relate to his conduct at Leander Club, which has declined to comment on the new suspension.

The Henley Standard understands that British Rowing has not shared details of the new allegations with the club.

ITV News reported last month that female rowers had staged a walkout last season over the club’s handling of the allegations. The man was accused of the serious sexual assault of a female squad member in 2022 but was allowed to keep rowing at the club, after it determined there was “insufficient evidence” to initiate a full disciplinary process.

A second athlete was suspended after being accused of harassing a female squad member before being readmitted following an appeal.

Both men denied any wrongdoing. However, when the rower accused of harassment was reinstated, female rowers refused to train with their teammates.

In addition to refusing to use the club’s gym at the same time as the men, they wore white ribbons on their kit to support the fight against abuse and violence against women in the sport and to protest at the club’s handling of the investigations.

Last month, in a letter sent to its members and shared with the Henley Standard, the club said there is “more to be done” after being accused of failing to properly investigate sexual assault and harassment allegations.

In the letter, the club’s president Dick Lester, chairman Pete Bridge and captain Lola Anderson said that all the cases addressed in the media coverage were investigated at the time they were reported to the club.

It said that in each of these cases, the club acted to protect the confidentiality of those involved.

Leander said it was committed to continuously reviewing its safeguarding measures and ensuring that these are updated so that they remain “fit for purpose”.

In the past year, following the allegations, the club said it had updated its code of conduct.

It has also partnered with a specialist external provider to provide training to “raise comprehensive awareness about sexual consent and to recognise, prevent and respond to any issues”.

The club said it had a clear process to follow when it came to misconduct allegations, including “immediate support” to the individual as well as recommending contacting the police to report incidents.

British Rowing has confirmed that it is currently reassessing how it investigated information related to previous allegations.

It defended its safeguarding policies after a Leander Club rower questioned whether the current investigation would have happened if not for the recent national headlines.

It told ITV News that its safeguarding policies were not determined by media coverage and relied on people coming forward directly.

Another rower from the club, speaking to ITV, questioned how the body was making the sport safer for its athletes.

A spokeswoman for British Rowing said: “Following ongoing investigations we can confirm that a temporary suspension has been given to an athlete.

“This means they can have no involvement in the sport while the investigation continues. We cannot comment further.”