An Australian Wintry weather Olympics flag-bearer will attraction a life-time restrain in america for sexual misconduct involving a minor.
Brendan Kerry, a triple Olympian determine skater who used to be Australia’s joint flag-bearer on the Beijing Wintry weather Video games in 2022, has been completely cancelled by way of the USA Middle for SafeSport.
Kerry says he’s blameless.
“After hearing nothing from the US Center for SafeSport for almost three years … I received their decision with no advance warning whatsoever, sanctioning me for alleged violations that I did not commit,” Kerry stated in a remark.
“That decision is not final and I intend to challenge this suspension and request arbitration before a neutral arbitrator as is my right.”
Kerry, who gained seven consecutive Australian determine skating titles from 2013, equipped alcohol to and had sexual sex with a upcoming 16 or 17-year-old determine skater in america in 2016 and 2017, ESPN reported.
Kerry used to be a registered trainer with US Determine Skating within the 2016-17 season when the misconduct used to be imagined to have befell.
ESPN cited a undercover abstract of an investigation into Kerry by way of SafeSport, the USA Olympic motion’s sexual misconduct watchdog.
SafeSport additionally investigated an allegation Kerry compelled a 2d skater into non-consensual intercourse at a birthday party in 2016, however discovered inadequate proof to turn out that declare.
Kerry’s restrain handiest applies in the USA the place SafeSport has jurisdiction however he has stood i’m sick from training at Sydney’s Macquarie Ice Rink by way of mutual commitment with Australian determine skating government.
The Australian Skilled Skaters’ Affiliation stated it might carry out its personal investigation.
The affiliation’s president and Kerry’s mom, Monica MacDonald, has additionally stood i’m sick from her place pending the investigation.
In keeping with SafeSport’s abstract cited by way of ESPN, Kerry “admitted to engaging in a sexual relationship with Claimant 1 for an unknown period of time beginning in or around September 2016 when she was 17 years old”.
Kerry stated he used to be unaware the claimant used to be too younger to serve consent for sexual acts, ESPN reported.
The claimant described being “pinned down” and telling Kerry “no” on no less than one future, in keeping with SafeSport’s record — an allegation Kerry denied to investigators.
ESPN stated the claimant additionally said to police about Kerry however made up our minds, in 2021, to not press prison fees.
The Australian Olympic Committee and Ice Skating Australia (ISA) had been each ignorant of the SafeSport investigation till the sanction used to be excepted on Wednesday, Australian hour.
Kerry gained 8 Australian determine skating titles, together with seven in a row, and competed on the Wintry weather Olympics in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
The now 29-year-old retired later the Beijing Video games two years in the past when he recorded his absolute best Olympic end, seventeenth. He positioned twenty ninth in 2014 and twentieth in 2018.
Sports activities content material to create you assume… or permit you to not. A e-newsletter delivered each and every Saturday.
AAP
