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BMX rider Liam Phillips questions Jess Varnish’s removal from Great Britain cycling squad

Phillips also describes Tre Whyte situation as ‘bizarre’

Liam Phillips has said that his girlfriend Jess Varnish’s omission from the Great Britain cycling squad is “quite questionable.” The BMX rider, who will compete in the BMX World Championships in Medellin next week, does not accept that the decision not to renew her contract was a performance-based decision.

"I think it is quite questionable why Jess is no longer part of the GB cycling team," said Phillips in an interview with the BBC.

Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: “The lack of focus on performance during all this – it is indefensible in my view. Complete codswallop.”

Despite losing her contract in April, Varnish has continued training in Australia and plans on meeting the new Performance Director at British Cycling, Andy Harrison, upon her return to the UK in the hope of making a case to win back her place.

Phillips admits her chances are slim: "While we are still hopeful, we're not stupid and we appreciate there is a selection document to follow. I'm just hopeful we will get through this investigation and everyone will have their say and things will become clearer post-Rio."

Varnish’s case is also hampered by the fact that the women’s team sprint failed to qualify for Rio. This means she would have to oust either Katy Marchant or Becky James for one of two individual women’s sprint spots.

Phillips also had something to say on the omission of British National Champion, Tre Whyte, for the BMX World Championships. While he said he understood why Whyte might not be selected, he questioned why he was not being allowed to self-fund a trip. Whyte did this for the same event in 2014 and won a bronze medal.

“As it stands we are still in with a shot of qualifying three guys for Rio,” said Phillips. “I was lucky enough to be sent to Beijing in 2008 solely for experience. Why not try and get three guys to Rio and then it gives us options? If Tre is medal-capable send him. If he’s not, send a junior for the experience. It’s bizarre.”

Describing Shane Sutton’s departure as “a massive weight lifted off everybody’s shoulders,” Phillips said he felt he himself should have had “more support and a little bit more respect from senior management" in recent times. He also claimed that the Australian failed to applaud him when he won a fourth successive UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Manchester in April.

“That, for me, was the final straw. I went to see him in his office and said ‘it feels to me like you don’t want me or the programme to be successful’. He was like ‘how do you know I didn’t [applaud]?’ Well, my best friend of 20 years was stood right next to him.”

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6 comments

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fustuarium | 7 years ago
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"Why not try and get three guys to Rio and then it gives us options" He has a point.........

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OldRidgeback | 7 years ago
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Liam puts his finger on the situation regarding Tre. While BC won't fund Tre, he can self fund but is being blocked, for no reason that is apparent to anyone involved in BMX. Certainly in the BMX community, there is a strong feeling that the sport is treated very much as a second class citizen within BC to velodrome or road cycling. There are also many comments being made about predjudice within BC of an altogether different and more distasteful sort.

I'd be curious to hear what MTB riders say, but I have had the impression that MTB racing is also considered a lower priority within BC, despite the fact that we have some very capable riders in the UK.

When I spoke with Shanaze Reade at a training session she ran, she hinted very strongly that the reason she switched to sprint from BMX was that she got more support that way.

Tre is a highly capable rider and is being blocked. He has been incredibly diplomatic all things considered. I know his dad, who is a BMX coach and is absolutely seething about it, and rightly so.

BC needs to come clean about its decisions and to do so very fast. At the moment the feeling is that it is wasting talent.

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clayfit | 7 years ago
2 likes

Does speaking out like this make him next for the chop?

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1961BikiE | 7 years ago
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Yep even if he pays his own way. They would rather not fill all of "our" available quota!

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Danger Dicko | 7 years ago
2 likes

Just a minute, we aren't sending our own National Champion to the World Championships?

Bizarre.

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kitkat replied to Danger Dicko | 7 years ago
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Danger Dicko wrote:

Just a minute, we aren't sending our own National Champion to the World Championships?

Bizarre.

Yes, see all the comments at the time the Varnish-gate blew up.

BC to date have shown disregard for riders as human beings, merely commodities.

Sadly it has abused its position and prevented quality and capable athletes from representing their country EVEN when self funded due to the self interest of senior management

It’s shameful and questions should be asked of how this has come to be and who is responsible

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