Doubts cast over Zara Hyde Peters’ Birmingham 2022 board role
Birmingham 2022 bosses are understood to be considering the future of Zara Hyde Peters as a board member following the termination of her role as the new chief executive of UK Athletics.
Zara Hyde Peters will not take up a position as UK Athletics’ new chief executive after allegations made about her husband surfaced.
The Times alleges Mike Peters was allowed to continue coaching at a club where she was vice-chair despite being banned from teaching over an “inappropriate relationship” with a 15-year-old schoolgirl.
Hyde Peters was due to start her role with UK Athletics on 1 December but a review led to a decision to not go ahead with the appointment.
UK Athletics chair Chris Clark said: “Following recent press reports and significant media attention focused on Zara Hyde Peters, the UK Athletics Board convened a meeting this past Sunday 24 November and discussed the situation fully.
“Following the meeting I had time with Zara to review the situation and we have agreed together, that she will now not be taking up her position as CEO on 1 December.”
It is understood the board of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will discuss whether to temporarily suspend Hyde Peters – a board member of Birmingham 2022 and also the chair of its Athletes’ Advisory Committee.
The governing body, the Commonwealth Games Federation wrote to the Birmingham 2022 organising committee urging them to suspend her from those two roles pending an investigation.
The report in the Times claimed that Peters was allowed to continue coaching at the Coventry Godiva Harriers between 2012 and 2017 despite Hyde Peters knowing he had been permanently barred from teaching in October 2012.
Peters was barred from teaching because of the inappropriate relationship between 2004 and 2005 while he worked as a PE teacher at Bilton School, Rugby. He was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct after being cleared of sexual misconduct.
