Callan Chythlook-Sifsof (born February 14, 1989) is an American Olympicsnowboarder who has competed in snowboard cross since 2005. She is a Yupik/Inupiaq. She is the first native of Alaska to compete in the Olympics.
In 2006, she was invited to her first Winter X Games competition and won a silver medal in 2011.[5] She won the U.S. National Championships in Tamarack, Idaho, in 2007.[4] In 2008, she won the Jeep King of the Mountain World snowboard series in Sun Valley, Idaho.[6] Her best World Cup finishes were 3rd place in Furano, Japan, in 2006, and 2nd place in Arosa, Switzerland, in 2011.[7][8] She did not compete in 2009 due to a knee injury.[4][3]
It was announced on January 26, 2010, that Chythlook-Sifsof made the 2010 U.S. Winter Olympic Team. She placed 21st in the qualifying round of women's snowboard cross, and did not advance.[9][10] It was the first time a native of Alaska competed in the Olympics.[3]
In 2012, she had two top-ten World Cup finishes, but then suffered a knee injury that sidelined her for the rest of the season.[4] In 2014, she retired from snowboarding after three back-to-back knee surgeries, and then injuring her knee again.[1]
In February 2014, during the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, Russia, for which she did not qualify, Chythlook-Sifsof came out publicly as gay, saying she did so in support of ongoing protests of Russia's anti-LGBTQ laws.[11] She stated "it's important to come out and take a stand and show the world that it's not OK to be a bigot."[11]
2015–presentedit
In February 2022, Chythlook-Sifsof made posts on Instagram during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics accusing Peter Foley, who coached the U.S. Snowboard team from 1994 to 2022, of sexual misconduct.[12][13][14][15][16] She wrote, "I cannot watch another Olympic Games without saying this publicly."[17][18] Foley denied the allegations.[14][15][1] USSS immediately implemented an "athlete safety plan" that prohibited Foley from having "one-on-one interaction with female athletes," and from going into an athlete village.[15][16] He was placed on leave by USSS on February 21, temporarily suspended by SafeSport, and then dismissed by USSS on March 20, 2022.[19][20][15][21][16] By August 2022, at least five women had made reports to SafeSport regarding Foley's behavior.[22]
On August 8, 2023, after an 18-month investigation, SafeSport suspended Foley for ten years for sexual misconduct.[23][24][25]
^ ab"U.S. Snowboarder Callan Chythlook-Sifsof: I'm Gay". Towleroad Gay News. February 10, 2014. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
^John Branch (February 12, 2022). "A U.S. Olympic snowboarding coach is under investigation for sexual misconduct". The New York Times.
^Rachel Axon (March 22, 2022). "Report: Four women allege sexual misconduct by snowboarding coach Peter Foley". USA TODAY.
^ abJohn Branch (March 22, 2022). "Snowboarding Coach Faces New Accusations of Sexual Misconduct; Peter Foley, already accused of coercing athletes into posing for nude photos, now faces scrutiny from more women. He has been relieved of his duties as a U.S. Olympic coach". The New York Times.
^ abcdAxon, Rachel. "U.S. Ski & Snowboard president defends federation against charges it interfered in Foley probe". USA Today.
^Julie Jag (February 12, 2022). "Utah snowboarder Faye Gulini announces retirement, expresses support for embattled coach; On a day U.S. snowboarding wins gold, a former athlete accuses coach Peter Foley of inappropriate conduct toward women and building a toxic culture". The Salt Lake Tribune.
^Maxime Ducher (February 12, 2022). "l'entraîneur de snowboard américain Peter Foley accusé de harcèlement sexuel". Le Parisien.
^Sederquist, Ryan (March 26, 2022). "SafeSport case involving longtime U.S. snowboard coach intensifies". www.vaildaily.com.
^"Snowboard coach accused of sexual assault". ESPN. March 22, 2022.
^"Sources: U.S. snowboard accused of interference". ESPN. March 24, 2022.
^"Two more U.S. Ski and Snowboard officials out". ESPN. August 26, 2022.
^"Centralized Disciplinary Database". U.S. Center for SafeSport.
^Les Carpenter (August 8, 2023). "Olympics; Former U.S. snowboard coach Peter Foley suspended after sexual misconduct probe," The Washington Post.
^Tom Schad (August 8, 2023). "SafeSport suspends ex-US Olympic snowboarding coach Peter Foley after sexual misconduct probe". USA TODAY.
^Zeigler, Cyd (December 26, 2022). "Callan Chythlook-Sifsof is Outsports 2022 Female Hero of the Year". Outsports.
"Callan Chythlook-Sifsof at Vancouver2010.com". Archived from the original on May 14, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)