Australian Olympic figure skater Brendan Kerry banned for sexual misconduct involving minor

Australian Olympic figure skater Brendan Kerry has announced he will appeal against a lifetime ban in the United States for sexual misconduct involving a minor.

The US Center for SafeSport banned Kerry from any events or activities controlled by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), in a ruling issued on Tuesday.

Kerry has denied any wrongdoing and said he would challenge the ban.

“After not hearing from the US Center for SafeSport for almost three years…I received their decision without any prior warning, sanctioning me for alleged violations that I did not commit,” he said in a statement released to Australian media on Thursday.

“This decision is not final and I intend to contest this suspension and seek arbitration before a neutral arbitrator, as is my right.”

Kerry, 29, has competed in three Winter Olympics and was one of Australia’s two flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Games, its last major international competition.

He was a registered coach with US Figure Skating during the 2016-17 season, when the misconduct allegedly occurred.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport was established in 2017 to protect athletes, particularly minors, from sexual abuse in U.S. Olympic sports programs.