Ex-Jamaican bobsled coach blames departure on inexplicable demotion

Sandra Kiriasis cited an unjustified demotion as the primary reason for stepping down from her role as coach of the Jamaican women’s bobsled team.

The former Olympic and world champion made headlines worldwide when news broke Wednesday that she had opted to part ways with Jamaica's first women’s bob team just days before training starts.

A day after Jamaican bobsleigh federation president Christian Stokes accused the German of being a "destructive" presence on the team, Kiriasis released a statement to reveal she was puzzled by the sudden demotion, which would have denied her access to the Jamaican duo of Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and Carrie Russell.

"Without giving any reasons, I was told out of the blue that with immediate effect I should work only as a track and performance analyst, would have to leave the Olympic village, would lose my accreditation as part of the Jamaican team, and was not supposed to have any more contact with the athletes, etc," she wrote on Facebook.

She added: "Naturally, I cannot accept to be treated the way I have been treated. I still do not know the reasons behind the decision of Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation and certainly will not allow (myself) to be used as the puppet on a string by the federation which have (sic) also saved a lot of money due to my commitment and contacts.

"Fact is that I have not abandoned the team but have chosen not to continue due to the unacceptable conditions offered by the federation without any explanation and which would have forced me to sacrifice my reputation and my professionalism. This is the sole reason why I have turned down this change to my role."

Reports Wednesday indicated Kiriasis owned the team's sled, but she clarified that she instead saved the federation "a lot of money" through her contacts, who helped her rent a bobsled for PyeongChang 2018.

The women's two-person bobsled heats begin Tuesday.