Top Canadian bobsleigh, skeleton athletes call for resignations amid toxic culture allegations

Some of Canada's top bobsleigh and skeleton athletes are calling for the resignations of the president of Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, Sarah Storey, and high performance director Chris Le Bihan.

A group of more than 60 athletes have penned an open letter to the organization, alleging Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) is still riddled with toxicity — despite the organization touting a culture shift following the departure of Kaillie Humphries in 2019 amid harassment allegations.

The full list of signatories to the letter has not been disclosed by its organizers. However, CBC News has spoken to a dozen current and former athletes, and has verified the letter's authenticity.

The athletes who spoke with CBC News say while the culture shift was generally successful in repairing relations between athletes and coaches, BCS' administration didn't hold up its end to bring about positive change to the organization.

Canada won a bronze medal in the four-man men's bobsleigh at the Beijing Winter Games last month, as well as a bronze medal in the inaugural women's monobob event.

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The athletes who spoke with CBC News all described a grim culture, one where they're afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation from the organization — namely, losing their spot on the national team and thus their Olympic dreams. Those concerns are also reflected in the letter, signed by athletes who competed for Canada as far back as 2014.

"BCS's leadership style feels authoritarian, and fear of retaliation silences athletes and prevents them from bringing forward any questions or concerns," the letter reads.

"The athletes feel they have no voice on matters that directly affect them