Former athletics coach Toni Minichiello banned for life for 'sexually physical behaviour'
9 August 2022, 11:52 | Updated: 9 August 2022, 12:29
A former UK athletics coach, who helped Jessica Ennis-Hill to heptathlon glory, has been banned for life after an investigation found he engaged in "sexually physical behaviour" with athletes.
Toni Minichiello was also deemed to have made inappropriate sexual references and gestures to athletes and engaged in "inappropriate and sometimes aggressive behaviour, bullying and emotional abuse".
UK Athletics said the findings, which amount to a large number of breaches of its coach licence terms over a 15-year period, "constitute gross breaches of trust".
He was found to have breached his coaching licence over a 15-year period in numerous ways by the Independent Case Management Group.
He made inappropriate sexual references and gestures to athletes, including mimicking “female genitalia and oral sex”, telling an athlete to “suck my ****” and frequently referring to his penis as his “spicy Italian sausage”.
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The investigation found he also failed to respect the athletes right to a private life by making intrusive enquiries and personal comments about their personal lives, including asking an athlete if she had “ever had sex while doing weights”.
It also concluded that he engaged in sexually physical behaviour, namely inappropriate and unwanted touching of athletes to whom he owed a duty of care, including touching two athletes’ breasts and “dry humping” to mimic sexual activity.
As Minichiello's coaching licence expired during the disciplinary process, he cannot be suspended or subject to a sanction.
However, the governing body has decided it will not entertain any future application made by Minichiello for a coach licence.
"UKA has considered the matter and decided that these findings are of the utmost seriousness," a UK Athletics statement read.
"They constitute gross breaches of trust by Mr Minichiello which have had severe consequences for the mental health and mental wellbeing of the athletes under his charge.
"The issuance of a UKA licence to a coach is essentially a representation on behalf of UKA that the coach in question can be trusted with the athletes under his charge.
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"UKA is firmly of the view that there will never be a time in the future at which it would be appropriate to grant that assurance and issue such a licence.
"UKA has decided that it will not entertain any future application made by Mr Minichiello for a UKA coach licence in perpetuity."
