Biathlon official apologizes to athletes who have suffered mistreatment

The secretary general of the International Biathlon Union apologized to any athlete who was mistreated during his tenure at U.S. Biathlon while speaking to a 90-minute meeting Tuesday that focused on concerns about athlete safety brought to light by multiple Associated Press reports.

“I appreciate anyone who comes forward with issues, especially issues of sexual misconduct, whether it’s recent ones or old ones. I think that’s an incredibly brave and important thing to do,” Max Cobb said in remarks to the U.S. Biathlon Association’s annual meeting, held over Zoom.

It was Cobb’s first public statement since AP’s report a week ago detailing how women said officials ignored or excused sexual abuse and harassment of female biathletes by their coaches and others over decades because they were more concerned about winning medals than holding offenders accountable.

While the men involved climbed the ranks of the sport, the women — who described a culture of abuse dating back to the 1990s — said they were forced to end their racing careers early. Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with target shooting.

“I can say personally I am very sorry for any athlete who suffered any kind of mistreatment during my time working with U.S. Biathlon,” said Cobb, who rose from domestic team manager to CEO of the association and is now an official with the IBU, the worldwide governing body of the sport.

Cobb said Tuesday that he would cooperate with a U.S. Center for SafeSport investigation into a coach accused of sexually abusing a young biathlete, causing her so much distress that she attempted suicide. He said SafeSport holds exclusive jurisdiction over investigations and he could not speak further.

However, that biathlete, Grace Boutot, also attended the virtual meeting and said no one is prohibited from speaking about her case because she has not filed a SafeSport complaint about the abuse she suffered. She said a SafeSport six-month suspension was not enough, while she has endured a life sentence.

Cobb was named in a different SafeSport complaint filed by another former biathlete who said her coach tried to sexually assault her and Cobb dismissed it when she reported it to him.

During the meeting Boutot accused Cobb and other board members of ignoring sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of two different coaches. “Other people were aware of what happened, and they did not reach out to me to investigate after my suicide attempt,” she said.

Drew Hudon, vice president of the Colorado Biathlon Club, said that is why the board has lost the trust of U.S. Biathlon members. That includes board Chairman Bob Hall, who opened the meeting saying athlete safety was the priority and had said the body would investigate any allegations.

“We just heard point-blank, crystal clear, they did know and did not investigate,” Hudon said. “That to me was a clear example of why I should not have trust right now in this board of directors, in their ability to oversee this organization and promote safety.”

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee placed an employee on administrative leave after the AP reported about Boutot’s case.

Boutot and two-time Olympian Joan Wilder contacted the AP with their stories after the news agency reported that two-time Olympian Joanne Reid was sexually harassed and abused for years by a ski wax technician while racing on the World Cup circuit, according to SafeSport. When she complained, she said, she was told his behavior was just part of male European culture and then faced retaliation.

SafeSport has launched a new investigation into U.S. Biathlon CEO Jack Gierhart and High Performance Director Lowell Bailey regarding the retaliation claims, though it is not known when they will finish their work. SafeSport spokeswoman Hilary Nemchik said she could not comment on an ongoing case.

The AP story on Reid’s SafeSport case prompted U.S. Biathlon to order an independent investigation into team culture and safety. The assessment by auditor Vestry Laight found that biathletes faced “misogynistic” behavior while racing and feared retaliation if they came forward.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Gierhart detailed the organization’s plan to respond to auditor recommendations and create a supportive and accountable team culture.

“This is an ongoing process — it’s a journey,” he said. “It’s a shift for us, and we’re committed to making it happen.”

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EDITOR’S NOTE — Martha Bellisle is an amateur biathlete who has won several U.S. national and world championship gold medals in the master’s division for competitors 60 and older. She has competed at local races across the country sanctioned by the U.S. Biathlon Association.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org