US Olympic and Paralympic officials put coach on leave amid reports of sexual abuse allegations

The US Olympic & Paralympic Committee placed an employee on administrative leave Thursday after The Associated Press reported that one of its coaches was accused of sexually abusing a young biathlete, causing her so much distress that she attempted suicide.Rocky Harris, USOPC chief of sport and athlete services, sent an email to US Biathlon national team members to address the “concerning allegations of abuse” raised by several biathletes in the AP report.“We want to commend these athletes for their immense courage and strength in coming forward,” the email said.“Effective immediately, we have placed a USOPC staff member on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.”Harris did not name the employee, but Gary Colliander was the only USOPC coach named in the AP report.

Jon Mason, a USOPC spokesperson, told the AP that no additional information would be released while the inquiry is underway.“While we are currently in the process of gathering all the necessary information surrounding these complaints, we want to emphasize that abuse and misconduct have no place in our community,” said the email, also sent to the AP.Grace Boutot told the AP that after Colliander began coaching her when she was 15, he gave her a lot of attention, including long hugs and inappropriate touching.The conduct escalated after she turned 18 to “kissing, sexual fondling and oral sex,” according to a treatment summary by therapist Jacqueline Pauli-Ritz, shared with the AP.The AP generally does not identify victims of sexual abuse except in cases where they publicly identify themselves or share their stories openly.Boutot said she begged Colliander to stop but he ignored her.

She said he warned her against telling anyone, saying his life would be ruined and her biathlon career would end.In September 2010, Pauli-Ritz contacted Colliander and told him Boutot was suffering from major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder and he should stop coaching her...