An investigation into Rowing Canada has found the actions of former Rowing New Zealand coach Dave Thompson left athletes traumatised and hurt.
Thompson previously coached the New Zealand women's elite eight at Lake Karapiro but he took a job with the sport in Canada following the Rio Olympics.
In 2019, a bullying and harassment complaint was lodged against Thompson and he was consequently dismissed and barred from coaching in Canada.
An independent report on the sport's high performance rowing programme was released last week by law firm Rubin Thomlinson.
"We heard from many people, including athletes,coaches, and contractors, who had experienced or witnessed abuse,bullying, harassment, and disrespectful behaviour on the part of Mr Thompson."
The 62-page report also details how Thompson's impact on the programme and lack of transparency around his dismissal had a lasting negative impact on athletes and others in the organisation with one athlete calling it "emotional scar tissue".
Similar to recent sporting reviews in New Zealand, the report identifies significant culture issues within the Rowing Canada high-performance environment.
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