Running News Daily

Former Ottawa Lions coach Andy McInnis sanctioned with lifetime ban from track and field

On Tuesday, former Ottawa Lions coach and Athletics Canada Hall of Fame member Andy McInnis had his lifetime ban from track and field upheld. McInnis was originally sentenced in May 2019 but was granted a redetermination of his case after he won his appeal in February 2020.

His redetermination was set to be decided by a new commissioner. Athletics Canada appointed Hugh Fraser to handle the case and Fraser has upheld the original decision to ban McInnis for life.

McInnis was placed on administrative leave by the Ottawa Lions initially on September 13, 2018 as a result of allegations of sexual misconduct brought forward by athletes. But according to an announcement by Athletics Canada in March 2019, McInnis was first reprimanded in 2017 for complaints brought by athletes and others in 2016.

A March 2019 Athletics Canada announcement also claimed that according to the terms of his initial suspension from the Ottawa Lions, McInnis was prohibited from having any contact with staff or athletes from the club. Despite these terms, he coached Ottawa Lions athletes at a training camp during the last week of December 2018 and the first week of January 2019.

In late March of last year, Ken Porter (former president of the Ottawa Lions) and McInnis received suspensions from Athletics Canada while their cases were under review. They both received lifetime bans in May 2019, which Porter chose not to appeal.