September 28, 2019
Dear Canadians,
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton’s mission is to develop world and Olympic champions.
Our tradition of excellence is rooted in the 1964 Olympic Winter Games when Vic Emery’s four-man bobsleigh team
won the first Olympic gold medal for the sport in Canada. Since that historic day 55 years ago, we have gone on to
develop medal-winning Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast, introducing you all to a list of some of the nation’s
most decorated Olympians: Pierre Lueders; Dave McEachern; Kaillie Humphries; Heather Moyse; Helen Upperton;
Shelley-Ann Brown; Lyndon Rush; Lascelles Brown; Chris Le Bihan; Dave Bissett; Justin Kripps; Alex Kopacz; Duff
Gibson; Jon Montgomery; Jeff Pain; Mellisa Hollingsworth; and many more.
We have celebrated the remarkable athletic accomplishments of each of these, and many other, bobsleigh and
skeleton athletes with all Canadians. Together, they boast dozens of World Championship and hundreds of World
Cup podium performances in addition to seven Olympic gold medals, three silvers and three bronze medals.
Kaillie Humphries is obviously an integral piece to our sport’s history.
On August 22, 2018, Kaillie filed a harrassment complaint with Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton. Abiding by its harrassmentand discrimination policy that has been in place since 2006, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton immediately forwarded thecomplaint to an independent professional investigator to ensure a thorough and confidential investigation of thecomplaint.
On October 7, 2018, Kaillie announced she was taking a year away from the sport.
On January 19, 2019, Kaillie announced publicly that she had filed a harrassment complaint.
On August 3, 2019 Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton received a request from USA Bobsled and Skeleton to release Kaillie sothat she could compete for the United States. On August 4, 2019 Kaillie requested release from Bobsleigh Canada
Skeleton tying the request to the allegations of harassment. In light of the fact that there was an open and ongoing
investigation, the Board of Directors decided to defer the release request until the independent investigation was
complete. This was communicated to Kaillie on August 22.
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton took Kaillie’s allegations extremely seriously. Investigating these allegations to their
fullest was our number-one priority to ensure a safe training and competitive environment for everyone involved in
our sport. The investigation found insufficient evidence of Kaillie’s allegations.
On September 13, 2019 Kaillie filed a lawsuit against Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton and sought a mandatory injunction
to obtain a release in order to compete for the United States.
On September 17, 2019 a Calgary judge denied Kaillie’s application that sought an immediate release from Bobsleigh
Canada Skeleton in order to compete for the American team.
Canada’s bobsleigh and skeleton athletes and coaches take great pride in their ongoing work towards building a
positive and fair culture for everyone in the national program, challenging each other in a safe and constructive way
in an effort to make each other better. Collectively we believe that this healthy, team-focused environment is our
competitive advantage on the track, and it has already contributed to the successes of a newly emerging group of
medal-winners for Canada at all levels of the sport.
This group of Canadian role models work tirelessly each day to find the fractions of a second needed to carry the
torch and continue our medal-winning mission well into the future.
They are equally determined, competitive and as driven as those who have blazed the track to the international
podium before them. Most importantly, they are relentless in their dedication to the team and protecting the
positive culture they have created. Active in the community making regular school appearances, engaging with
charities and interacting with corporate Canada, the work they have done over the last year on and off the track
reinforces the notion that no single medal is bigger than one team – one program.
Taking all of this into account, while seeking input from all of the organization’s key stakeholders, the Board of
Directors at Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton have decided to grant Kaillie’s request for a release from our program.
This was not an easy decision, nor was it one we took lightly. Alongside our stakeholders, we carefully weighed all the
relevant factors in this important and complex decision of releasing a medal-potential athlete to one of our top
competitors. Ultimately, we firmly believe that supporting our current athletes and the positive culture they have
developed as a team will foster the environment we need to successfully grow our sport and slide onto the
international podium both now, and in the future.
These athletes and coaches deserve the opportunity to focus on their pursuit of excellence.
We are grateful for the continued investment from the Government of Canada, all of our generous corporate and
sport partners, and most notably, to all Canadians for sticking with us, cheering us on and supporting this
extraordinary group of athletes who take great pride in wearing the maple leaf on their uniforms while chasing their
Olympic dreams.
We look forward to seeing you along the track to Beijing 2022.
Sincerely,
Board of Directors
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton
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