Australia’s national boxing coach has pulled out of the Paris Olympics after admitting to bullying and sexual misconduct with female fighters.
Jamie Pittman has been accused of 11 separate breaches of the code of conduct by the Combat Institute of Australia, acting on behalf of several elite boxers, following overseas tours last year.
The National Sports Tribunal, an independent government body set up to resolve sporting disputes, heard damning evidence against him last month, the details of which were made public on Wednesday. During the hearing, Pittman, 42, said he was “ashamed and embarrassed” and would not contest the findings, accepting that “certain comments he made were inappropriate”.
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“Having considered the evidence, he … did not wish to cause any further stress or anxiety to the athletes preparing for the forthcoming Olympic Games, withdrew his expression of interest to coach at those Games and accepted the breach,” the tribunal heard.
Pittman declined to comment on the allegations but confirmed he would not be attending Paris 2024. “They’ve already named the team … I haven’t applied for the Olympics,” he insisted.
Pittman, who represented Australia at the 2004 Olympics and fought for the WBA middleweight title four years later, was appointed as national coach in late 2021. The National Sports Tribunal recommended that he be banned for six months from 9 November 2023. It also ruled that he must apologise in writing to his victims and undergo counselling.
