Barnes admitted to charges of conducting inappropriate relationships with athletes he coached and using racist language
Chris Barnes, a coach and event organiser from the North West of England, has been given a life ban from athletics after a UK Athletics disciplinary panel found him guilty of multiple breaches of the coaches’ code of conduct, including inappropriate relationships and use of racist language.
Barnes founded the popular Podium 5km event series in 2014 and it has featured a number of record-breaking performances from high-profile athletes over the years.
A UKA statement on Friday (June 20) read: “Mr Barnes admitted multiple charges of misconduct, including inappropriate relationships, use of racist and inappropriate language, and behaviour that brought the sport into disrepute.
“He has been permanently banned from participating in any capacity in the sport of athletics within Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This includes any roles involving coaching, the organisation of events, and any other activities governed by the UK Athletics Competition Rules or the Rules of World Athletics.”
UKA’s Chief Operating Officer Tom Solesbury said: “This was a very serious case and we are satisfied that the outcome reflects the gravity of the behaviour involved. It demonstrates that regardless of your role or position, if you are active in our sport and your conduct falls short of the standards we expect, we will act to address it.
“The vast majority of coaches in our sport uphold the highest standards and make a hugely positive contribution to athletics — and we owe it to them, and to everyone in the sport, to ensure a safe, respectful and supportive environment for all.”
There were nine charges in total against Barnes. They included conducting “an intimate relationship with (an athlete) while acting as her coach” from 2019-2021 and “sending sexually explicit and inappropriate images and messages to (athletes) while acting as their coach”.
In another intimate relationship with an athlete he coached, from February to June in 2020, he failed to tell her that he was married during their relationship.
He also used racist slurs and inappropriate language, some of which was via Facebook messenger, on Strava or in posts on Twitter. One such comment related to a football match which he described as “a game of blacks and browns … with a brown ref”.
Furthermore, he was “obsessive over food and body weight”, according to the disciplinary panel, and criticised athletes by describing them with phrases such as “chubby f***er”.
Finally, Barnes refused to have a DBS check on one occasion and there were charges of inappropriate behaviour such as encouraging an athlete to race while she was undergoing a medical procedure and telling someone to take medication for depression despite him having no medical qualifications.
The full outcome of the case can be found here.
