New Hollingsworth athletics claims surface

A former athletics coach claims Eric Hollingsworth used a highly offensive term to refer to triple Commonwealth Games gold medallist Tamsyn Lewis Manou.

More allegations have surfaced about the behaviour of axed Athletics Australia (AA) head coach Eric Hollingsworth.

Former AA national distance running coordinator Tim O'Shaughnessy has told Melbourne's 3AW radio that Hollingsworth used a highly offensive term to refer to triple Commonwealth Games gold medallist Tamsyn Lewis Manou during a 2012 meeting at which she was not present.

"I told the CEO what I recalled," O'Shaughnessy said.

"What I was told by Athletics Australia is that no one else in the meeting could recall what happened."

O'Shaughnessy said Lewis Manou's complaint was thrown out and that he was made redundant later that year at Hollingworth's behest.

The station also reported that Lewis Manou claimed that, at the Victorian Institute of Sport more than a decade ago, Hollingsworth told her she didn't receive part of her funding because she didn't "beg for it".

She also said he told her she would "have to see his wife at the IVF clinic" if she wanted to keep running.

"I assume he meant that if I wanted to become a mother, I would have to stop running. It was a horrible comment," 3AW quoted her as saying.

"Our sport is in the hands of dictators, not communicators. For the benefit of the athletes, there needs to be an external investigation.

"The Australian Sports Commission needs to get involved."

Athletics Australia suspended Hollingsworth last month after he disparaged Sally Pearson on the eve of her successful Commonwealth Games 100m hurdles title defence.


Share

2 min read

Published


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world