FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 5, 2024
One of the world’s most renowned sprint coaches, Rana Reider, is “suddenly, and without due process, being denied the right to continue coaching athletes competing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” according to Reider’s U.S.-based attorney, Ryan Stevens of Flagstaff, Arizona.
Coach Reider was properly accredited by Canada’s National Olympic Committee (“NOC”) to attend the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as a credentialed coach. He has, to date, been coaching his athletes at the Games without issue.
Coach Reider has now been unjustly stripped of his Olympic coaching credential, based on years-old claims in a lawsuit by former athletes seeking financial gain.
Coach Reider currently has no sanctions against him by the U.S. Center for SafeSport (the “Center”). He has no sanctions against him by USA Track & Field or Athletics Canada.
The only investigative body, the Center, that has looked into the years-old claims closed its investigation in 2023 and dismissed the large majority of the claims. Coach Reider successfully completed a probation period that ended in May.
Today’s unilateral and sudden decision by Canada’s NOC to revoke their previously approved accreditation of Coach Reider left their former Olympic champion, Andre De Grasse, without his chosen coach on the eve of his first 200m round.
Coach Reider has been afforded no due process in the unilateral decision to revoke his credential at the last minute. There have been no investigation or formal findings to support the decision provided to Reider.
“It’s a bad day for the Olympics when a governing body’s fear of bad publicity is prioritized over the athletes,” Stevens said. Stevens went on to confirm that “Coach Reider has no pending sanctions against him by any governing body.”
“The ones who are being hurt in all of this are the athletes suddenly forced to compete without their chosen coach, including one of Canada’s finest sprinters,” Stevens said.
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