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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Olympic chief firmly denies abuse claims

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 09/28/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

VANCOUVER -- John Furlong, the man who helmed the Vancouver Olympics, has categorically denied allegations he physically abused aboriginal students as a teacher at two northern B.C. schools decades ago, and says he plans to sue.

The allegations Furlong hit and kicked students and verbally abused them during his time as a physical education teacher in the late 1960s and early 1970s appeared Thursday in the free Vancouver weekly Georgia Straight.

Within hours, Furlong held a news conference with his lawyer to announce legal action.

"I categorically deny absolutely any wrongdoing and I believe that the RCMP in looking into this matter will discredit the complaint entirely because it just did not happen," Furlong told reporters.

Furlong said it was "very troubling" to read the article and the "very serious, unfounded allegations."

The newspaper story cites eight students whose claims include: He used his foot to slam one of them down on the floor, kicked another in the buttocks, hit one person with a hockey stick and another with a yardstick, and slapped or punched them on the front or the back of the head.

One person suggested he called them "good-for-nothing Indians," and another said he suffered repeated beatings.

Furlong was a teacher at two Catholic schools in northern B.C., but although he has frequently spoken about his arrival as an immigrant to Canada in 1974, he has not been public about his earlier work at the schools and did not mention his work there in the autobiography released following the 2010 Games.

The former Olympic chief said he is proud of the work he has done with First Nations and his time in the north.

He suggested he didn't include his time at the school in his book, Patriot Hearts, because the book was dedicated to the buildup and execution of the 2010 Winter Games.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 28, 2012 A15

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