Lifetime ban of track coach Andy McInnis upheld by Athletics Canada commissioner

OTTAWA — Athletics Canada’s independent commissioner’s office has upheld the lifetime ban of former track coach Andy McInnis for sexual harassment and misconduct.

In a ruling issued Tuesday, commissioner Hugh L. Fraser called for the expulsion of McInnis from Athletics Canada and a ban from his involvement with any of its member branches. McInnis is also to be removed from the Athletics Canada Hall of Fame.

McInnis received a lifetime ban from Athletics Canada on May 6, 2019, after allegations surfaced of sexual harassment stemming from his time coaching the Ottawa Lions. The allegations have not been proven in court.

He remained provisionally suspended after he won an appeal to the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC), which ruled some bias existed in the former commissioner’s handling of the case. The complaints were remitted to the commissioners office, which hired Fraser to handle the case’s redetermination.

McInnis coached Canada’s 4×100-metre men’s relay team to gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and went on to become Canada’s national program director. He also created successful track and field programs at the University of Ottawa and Carleton, and was inducted into Athletics Canada’s Hall of Fame in 2017.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2020.

The Canadian Press