Olivia Podmore investigation: Doctor denies sharing medical information about player with coaches

“There are no gray areas, it’s black and white.”

Podmore died of a suspected suicide in August 2021 – the day after the end of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

During the first week of the inquest, led by coroner Louella Dunn, the court heard evidence from two witnesses that Podmore’s disclosures about her mental health “went further than they should have.”

In particular, the conduct of one health care professional was questioned by Nicholl Baileythe coach’s ex-wife at the center of events that led to the 2018 Cycling NZ inquiry.

Bailey told the inquest she was concerned about the approach of the doctor, who she noted had a close relationship with her ex-husband and was part of a “boys’ club” made up of coaching and support staff.

She described Podmore’s openness with the doctor as a “double-edged sword.”

“In a way, it brought awareness to the difficulties she faced. However, I am also aware that this information regularly went further than it should have, resulting in Olivia being ostracized, denigrated and intimidated by coaches and teammates,” Bailey said.

Surprise and shock

Taking the stand on Tuesday, the doctor, whose name was temporarily withheld, told the court he accepted there was a senior network at Cycling NZ between 2016 and 2018, but denied he was part of it.

“My first experience with cycling was that there was a very closed system within the coaching team. It wasn’t inclusive, it wasn’t diverse in any way,” he said.

“For some it was an old boys’ club, for me it was a closed, controlling system that maintained its own balance in favor of certain people. Was I part of it? No, not at all.

“I make it clear that I am not anyone’s friend, so my protocol is that I do not socialize with coaches or athletes. I have found this to be crucial when it comes to supporting multiple athletes – otherwise you will immediately damage the relationship.”

The practitioner said he was “shocked” to read evidence showing he allegedly passed on private information about Podmore to the coaching staff. He said the claims appeared to come from a small group of people outside the “professional sphere” in which he operated.

“Being seen as someone who shares information outside of this space was a complete surprise and shock to me. At no point does this information come from any (other) rider. “

The practitioner told the court his approach was to encourage athletes themselves to share their own information with coaches.

“We addressed the issue so people know that I talked to Olivia about the importance of sharing information with coaches, and if a coach asked me how Olivia was doing, I would say, ‘Please ask Olivia.’

“This allows her agency to share information…it’s up to her who she shares the information with.”

The practitioner stated that the only time he could breach confidentiality was when he believed there was an “imminent risk”.

Despite knowing that Podmore had disclosed to two other healthcare workers that she was having suicidal thoughts – once in January 2021 and again in April 2021 – he did not consider her to be at high risk in the months leading up to her death.

“In my opinion, we managed to help Olivia – or at least she managed – and she started to really fly.”

He told the court that he knew that watching the Tokyo Olympics from the sidelines would be a difficult time for her, so he and another health care provider scheduled weekly follow-up visits with her.

Podmore was scheduled to meet the practitioner on August 6, 2021, but on the same day she texted him to reschedule because she was in Queenstown on an “epic” snowboarding trip.

Three days later he received news that the young traveler had taken her own life.

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