- Independent investigation finds McColl’s conduct as a coach over “a number of years” was improper and inappropriate and amounted to serious misconduct
- The findings included harassment, inappropriate communication with athletes through social media and text messages, and making sexualised remarks to athletes who were minors.
- In response to the findings, McColl has resigned from his role as national pole vault coach, while Athletics NZ has imposed an unprecedented 10-year ban from the sport
- Stuff can separately reveal the pole vault guru is facing a police complaint related to an incident 15 years ago
Olympic pole vault coach Jeremy McColl has been banned from athletics for 10 years after an independent investigation found he committed serious misconduct, including findings of harassment and inappropriate sexual remarks to athletes who were minors.
As first reported by Stuff, McColl was last month stood down by Athletics NZ while an independent employment investigation was carried out after the national body fielded multiple complaints about his conduct.
Stuff also revealed the high profile coach had been the subject of a police complaint related to an incident 15 years ago.
Athletics NZ on Tuesday released the outcome of the employment investigation, carried out by the Sport and Recreation Complaints and Mediation Service (SRCMS), and with it, a hefty sanction.
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The investigation found that McColl had acted improperly in a number of ways, including the improper treatment of athletes in the coaching environment (including failure to adequately manage injuries), inappropriate comments to athletes in training sessions, findings of harassment, and of inappropriate communication with athletes through social media and text messages.
“Aggravating features of the conduct included that communication with athletes included inappropriate sexual references and that a number of the athletes were minors,” an Athletics NZ statement read.
McColl resigned from his role as national pole vault coach after being informed of the findings. Athletics NZ has also taken the additional step of suspending McColl for 10 years.
In a statement, McColl said he accepted the findings of the investigation and his ban from the sport.
“I unreservedly apologise for the harm caused to these athletes and recognise that my conduct was not in line with Athletics NZ’s policies or rules and was harmful and inappropriate,” the statement read.
Alisha Lovrich/Photosport
Jeremy McColl (in black) watches on as Eliza McCartney competes at the IAAF World Championships in London in 2017.
The sanction – thought to be unprecedented in the sport – is a massive fall from grace for a man once considered one of the country’s most innovative and inspiring high performance coaches.
The ban will prevent the pole vault guru, who guided Eliza McCartney to Olympic bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, from being an accredited coach or a member of an affiliated club. It is understood Athletics NZ has also informed the sport’s governing body, World Athletics, of the suspension.
In a statement undersigned by Athletics NZ chief executive Peter Pfitzinger and board chair Cameron Taylor, the organisation said safety in sport is critically important.
“Athletics NZ learnt considerable lessons following an incident which occurred approximately 10 years ago, and subsequently put in place new systems to educate athletes and coaches around safe practices.
“Athletics NZ wishes to apologise to the athletes involved for the harm they have suffered while training with Mr McColl. A key part of building and protecting a culture of safety is ensuring that unsafe and inappropriate actions are called out, investigated, and action taken. Athletics NZ recognises the courage of the athletes who came forward to raise their concerns in this case.”
Hannah Peters/Getty Images
Athletics NZ chief executive Peter Pfitzinger speaks during the New Zealand Commonwealth Games Athletics team announcement in May 2022.
As reported by Stuff, McColl did not accompany McCartney and his other top-ranked athlete, Olivia McTaggart, to Europe last month as the pair prepare for the world championships in Budapest, having been stood down from his role following multiple complaints about his conduct.
Athletics NZ referred the matter to the SRCMS, who appointed prominent Wellington-based barrister Andrew Scott-Howman to investigate. As part of the investigation, the net was widened to speak with former athletes, which revealed more historic issues.
McColl is also facing a separate police complaint related to an incident around 15 years ago. It is understood the SRCMS set this issue aside, and did not make any finding in relation to this complaint.
Stuff has spoken to the complainant in the police matter. She declined to comment while inquiries were under way.
“Because it is with the police at the moment, I don’t want to compromise that investigation by commenting at this time,” she said.
The woman also declined to elaborate on the nature of the complaint, stating only that it is “enough for the police to be involved”.
A police spokesperson said for privacy reasons, officials could not comment or confirm whether individuals were being investigated.
In a statement, Athletics NZ said it was “aware of reports suggesting that Mr McColl may also be the subject of a Police investigation”.
“Athletics NZ will cooperate with any investigation undertaken by appropriate authorities, including the Police.”
The news of McColl’s departure from Athletics NZ leaves its pole vault programme in turmoil approaching a year out from the Olympic Games.
The former gymnast is the only specialist pole vault coach in the country having built the national programme from scratch, famously investing his own money to buy a set of poles for his athletes.
Eliza McCartney
Kiwi athletics star has rebuilt her movements to get back to competition readiness. (Video first published May 12, 2022)
McCartney’s breakthrough bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games – her first major international meet – saw an influx of interest into the sport and increased investment from High Performance Sport NZ.
Over subsequent years McColl has gone on to build up a stable of elite vaulters, including McTaggart, surprise 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Imogen Ayris, and top men’s exponents James Steyn and Nick Southgate.
But more recently McColl has had less day-to-day involvement with McCartney’s programme, after she overhauled her team in late 2021 following a run of chronic injuries that kept her out of top level competition for four years.
It is understood there had been some concern within high performance circles about the way McCartney’s programme had been managed.
Biomechanics experts were of the view that McCartney’s on-going injury concerns were a result of poor technique modelling, which was exerting too much force down one side of her body.
It left McCartney stuck in a vicious cycle of getting injured, rehabbing the injury and getting in a position to jump again, only for a fresh injury to flare-up.
McCartney linked up with elite trainer Matt Dallow, and his wife Chelsea Lane – a former performance therapist turned NBA executive, who have helped rebuild her movement patterns, with McColl handling the jumping side of the star athlete’s programme.
“The main change we’ve made in the last six months has not been anything medical … yes, we understand maybe I have some underlying susceptibilities to certain injuries, but actually we can improve a lot by changing the way I run and my mechanics in the gym and on the track,” McCartney told Stuff in May last year after unveiling her new team.
“I’m not the robust teenager anymore, and we just didn’t move fast enough to the changes.”
The 26 year-old made her long-awaited comeback to top-level competition at the weekend, finishing third at a Diamond League event in Lausanne – her first podium finish at an international event since Eugene in 2018.
