Jean-Luc Brassard speaks to the media after being named Canada's Chef de Mission for the 2016 Rio Olympics, in Montreal on Thursday Dec. 4, 2014.Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press
When former moguls champion Jean-Luc Brassard resigned this week as Canada's chef de mission at this summer's Rio Olympics, the official reason was "professional obligations" – but it turns out there's a bit more to the story.
Mr. Brassard says he left his volunteer position at the Canadian Olympic Committee in large part because he's exhausted from the fallout over allegations of sexual harassment involving Marcel Aubut, the body's former president.
"I didn't want to go just to stand there looking happy to have a Team Canada jacket on," he said. "I would never want to be a distraction at the Games by saying the wrong thing during a moment of extreme fatigue. Those happen at a Games."
Coaches, athletes and team officials are generally told before an Olympics to air their grievances and resolve as many personal tensions as possible, because they can and will explode under the stress of competition on the international stage.
The COC, Mr. Brassard said, has yet to meaningfully do that.
"I'm afraid it's a case of do what I say, not what I do," he said.
The 68-year-old Mr. Aubut resigned last September after The Globe revealed a formal harassment complaint had been lodged against him – Mr. Brassard made a point of highlighting the complainant's courage.
In February, Mr. Brassard told The Globe that "red lights were lit on a number of occasions, and intentionally or not, they were ignored. I want to know why."
Late Tuesday evening, he said he's still waiting for answers.
"It's not the only reason I'm leaving, but at some point, someone is going to have to provide an answer to that question," he said in an interview.
The 43-year-old had hinted at quitting around the time of the February interview, and said he reached his decision last week and informed COC president Tricia Smith and other senior officials.
"They were kept in the loop, they were very gracious about it. I have the utmost confidence in Tricia. She's the first person in ages who has actually taken the question of integrity head on," he said. "It's better than it's been in a long time, and it's getting better. But when you badly want for things to change, sometimes you'd like for it to happen more quickly."
He continued: "I would have preferred for all this not to happen over the winter and for the COC not to have to deal with it, but there it was, the elephant in the room."
Mr. Brassard was at pains to say he is not leaving with any lingering feelings of bitterness – he said his fervent wish is the athletes will deliver record-setting performances – but he didn't feel he could give the job his all.
As such, he decided to relinquish his position as head of the Canadian delegation – former cyclist Curt Harnett was appointed in his stead, which Mr. Brassard called "a great decision."
When the COC announced his departure on Monday, the press release included a quote attributed to him. It began: "Since becoming Chef de Mission, my professional obligations and other responsibilities have made it very challenging for me to manage time-wise. After much reflection, I have come to the difficult decision, and in the best interest of Team Canada, to step down."
Asked about the comment, Mr. Brassard laughed.
"Whatever," he said.
Though he initially asked that the quote be modified, he ultimately approved it because "I figured people would see through it."
Few amateur sport officials and athletes have reacted publicly to Mr. Brassard's sudden departure six months before the opening ceremonies, although cross-country skier Alex Harvey told the Nouvelliste newspaper this week that "I raise my hat to him, because he kept his word. He had warned them he would leave if nothing changed, and evidently he believed that was the case."
Ms. Smith ordered an investigation last year into alleged sexual misconduct in the COC workplace. It found a majority of the more than 100 employees interviewed reported "experiencing or witnessing harassment … during the president's tenure."
The investigation also found some people in the upper echelons of the organization had been informed; the COC has yet to explain who knew and why it was allowed to continue for years.
Ms. Smith apologized to staff when a summary of the report was released, and a few days later, the COC parted company with a high-ranking executive and two other officials.