Olivia Podmore

A highly critical review of the national cycling body and High Performance Sport NZ is expected to be unveiled shortly.

Cycling NZ chair Phil Holden described the report as "forthright" and showed urgent change was needed. The report also highlighted distrust between Cycling NZ and High Performance Sport New Zealand. Heron and Leberman were joined at the media briefing by Cycling NZ board chairman Phil Holden and HPSNZ chief executive Raelene Castle.

"Just angry that it wasn't addressed or taken seriously in 2018 and I believe that's why we are here now today and we shouldn't be."

Raelene Castle and cycling boss reiterate their apology to Olivia Podmore's family at a press conference in Auckland as review is made public.

I am sorry people are still suffering trauma and we will do all that we can to support them into the future.” I mean, if I reflect on the last 72 hours and the amount of leaks that have come out from our organisation about information in relation to this report, and Kereyn’s appointment, that says to me that we've got a problem,” Holden said. ”A series of key focus areas have been identified by the report. “HPSNZ is sorry for the ongoing hurt the Podmore families are facing in dealing with their grief, and we convey again our deepest sympathies. “So, on behalf of Cycling New Zealand I want to reiterate what I said last week to the Podmore family: I am sorry for that experience. “I think trust and confidence is something that is an issue for us as an organisation.

Sports Minister Grant Robertson: "The report's findings lay bare the need for meaningful change, and I am determined that we will see that."

Heron described it as a “distressing and sinister” example of bullying, and found Cycling NZ bosses failed to recognise and protect athletes and support staff members from the ongoing risk of bullying stemming from an incident at a Bordeaux training camp in 2016. The panel found “key decisions, including around selection, recruitment, carding, and competitions, are not transparent to those impacted”. Like elite athletes at their peak, our sports journalists are highly trained in the art of news. “We will understand exactly what this report means from an HPSNZ perspective and how it can further focus our strategy and direction. Athletes are their raison d'être or reason for being, without them the [high-performance programme] would not exist – they deserve the same protection.” So we're asking you to support us with more than your attention. We need to ensure that the support systems are there at every level.” “The report’s findings lay bare the need for meaningful change, and I am determined that we will see that. “Olivia Podmore was clearly part of that group. “An employment model is not impossible. A lack of transparency and accountability was a “consistent and dominant theme” of the inquiry. “There is no tradeoff.

Cycling New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand are apologising for "unresolved trauma" and vowing to do better after the release of another ...

And that will need a lot of hard work." "That's where culture inside the environments is really critical. What my version of well-being is as an athlete might be different from someone else's. We should have done better." Clearly Olivia was part of that group. "We've been working on a number of the issues the report addresses, but we've got a lot more to do."

Cyclist Olivia Podmore's mother Nienke Middleton told Checkpoint she is impressed with Cycling NZ's response to the newly-released damning report.

"They basically do seem to be acknowledging... "They do seem sincere and wanting to address those issues. that there does need to be change, and there's certainly a lot of things they need to do better."

The long-awaited independent inquiry into Cycling NZ found its high-performance system "prioritises medals over wellbeing", co-chair Mike Heron QC said on ...

We were told that certain people (athletes and other personnel) will get picked within CNZ and/or recycled through the high performance system regardless of previous poor performance and/or whether they are the best person for the job." Again, we agree with this approach, and have heard of problematic instances where people have moved to Cambridge of their own accord and found the environment particularly challenging." CNZ disagrees that this is the case, but this issue was widely reported." The report asked for a reassessment of the centralised Cambridge base due to its conflict with athlete wellbeing. "The seemingly closed culture and use of NDAs is concerning. "The victim was left feeling invisible and as though they were not deserving of better treatment, and. "There is a perception that neither HPSNZ nor CNZ attempted any transformational change, particularly in relation to culture change and the funding model. Participants reported that Cycling NZ tolerated "repeated poor behaviour" from coaches and staff for extended periods. The system is designed to deliver performances; that is the return on investment. "I'd like to thank the panel for dealing with these challenging topics in the wake of Olivia's passing. "To the others affected we also acknowledge and sincerely apologise for the trauma that you have suffered. The inquiry panel acknowledged this was a limitation of their terms of reference.