Former UK Athletics Director's Racist Comment about Black Runners gets him banned for 3 years
Julian Starkey made the comment in November 2022 at the Sporting Equals Leadership event. The investigation from the UK Athletics Disciplinary Panel found his comments came upon being asked about the drop in participation among Black and brown athletes. Allegedly, he responded with a rather ignorant answer.
“Usually when athletes start to be more specific in events, most Black athletes tend to edge towards sprinting and hurdling … the Blacks are all good at running because they have to get away from their burglaries,” he said. 
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Read more from The Telegraph:
In explaining the three year ban from holding an official position in either organisation, the disciplinary panel said that they felt “that holding a position in the governance structures of the national bodies was a higher position, and people in the sport should rightly look up to the people in those positions”. It was therefore concluded that a two year exclusion “was too lenient when considering the severity of the misconduct”.
UK Athletics accepted that he was suffering from mental health problems but did not believe that this mitigated against the misconduct.
“He had behaved in a manner which England Athletics considered disgraceful,” says the report.
In its written decision, the panel said that “the comment made was a serious act of misconduct, and was totally unacceptable”, adding that, “even taking into account the Claimant’s mental health, the comment was shocking”.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/former-uk-athletics-director-s-racist-comment-about-black-runners-resurfaces/ar-AA1aGtwk
Starkey, 62, admitted to making the comment, but cited "mental health challenges" in his defence.
The report said that was not an excuse and did not pardon such remarks.
"He had behaved in a manner which England Athletics considered disgraceful," it read.
"The comment made was a serious act of misconduct, and was totally unacceptable.
"Even taking into account the claimant's mental health, the comment was shocking."
Starkey resigned from roles with England Athletics in December, and UK Athletics suspended his coaching licences for two years.
https://wwos.nine.com.au/news/athletics-news-2023-julian-starkey-racist-comment-banned-for-three-years/683f2a9f-27e8-4e58-941e-62e02a877794
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