The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) placed an employee on administrative leave Thursday following a report by The Associated Press detailing allegations of sexual abuse against a young biathlete by a USOPC coach.
While the USOPC did not name the employee, the AP report identified Gary Colliander as the coach accused of the abuse. USOPC spokesperson Jon Mason stated that no further information would be released while the inquiry is underway.
According to the AP report, Grace Boutot alleged that Colliander, her coach starting at age 15, engaged in inappropriate touching and escalating behavior that culminated in sexual acts after she turned 18. Boutot said she repeatedly asked Colliander to stop but was ignored. She also claimed he warned her against reporting the abuse, citing the potential consequences for both of their careers.
A treatment summary from Boutot’s therapist, Jacqueline Pauli-Ritz, corroborates Boutot’s account, detailing the emotional distress she suffered, including major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The therapist contacted Colliander in September 2010, urging him to cease coaching Boutot. Colliander subsequently resigned from his position with the Maine Winter Sports Center the following day. He later joined the US Paralympic team in December 2016 as the associate director of high performance for US Paralympics Nordic Skiing.
Boutot, now 33, expressed relief at the USOPC’s action but disappointment in the lack of similar action from US Biathlon. US Biathlon CEO Jack Gierhart acknowledged the troubling allegations in an email to the AP and US Biathlon members.
Boutot’s allegations are part of a wider pattern of abuse within biathlon, as revealed by the AP earlier this year. Several Olympians and biathletes have come forward since the initial report detailing the sexual abuse and harassment of Olympian Joanne Reid, investigated by the US Center for SafeSport. These accounts describe a culture of abuse dating back to the 1990s, where alleged perpetrators advanced within the sport while victims faced retaliation, often forcing them to prematurely end their careers.
