US Ski and Snowboard cuts ties with longtime Olympic coach amid sexual misconduct allegations

By Kevin Dotson, CNN

Updated 0715 GMT (1515 HKT) March 23, 2022

Former US Olympic snowboarding head coach Peter Foley.

(CNN)US Ski and Snowboard, the sports' governing body, has cut ties with longtime coach Peter Foley amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

«As of March 20, 2022, Peter Foley is no longer employed by U.S. Ski and Snowboard,» US Ski and Snowboard said in a statement to CNN. «Mr. Foley has been on a leave of absence since February 21, 2022,» the statement said. The organization did not provide a reason for the departure of its longtime snowboarding coach, though his leave of absence began shortly after allegations were raised during the Beijing Olympics last month. Foley was coaching the US snowboarding team in Beijing when Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, a member of the 2010 US Olympic snowboard team, outlined allegations of inappropriate behavior in a series of Instagram posts. In the posts, Chythlook-Sifsof accused Foley of taking «naked photos of female athletes for over a decade.» Foley denied the accusations at the time, telling Newsweek, «I'm surprised by the allegations. I vehemently deny the allegations. I'm doing my best to concentrate on supporting the athletes at the Olympics.»Read MoreUS Ski and Snowboard announced at the time that it was opening an investigation.Foley's departure from US Ski and Snowboard comes just two days after he was handed a temporary suspension by the US Center for SafeSport, a federally sanctioned watchdog group that investigates reports of abuse within the US Olympic and Paralympic Movement.When asked about Foley's suspension, a spokeswoman for the center said the group does not comment on ongoing cases.The spokeswoman added, «While not speaking to any case specifically, in