An ex-England Athletic director has been banned from the organisation after saying that black athletes make better sprinters because they ‘have to get away from their burglaries’.

As a member of the Bracknell Athletics Club and a board director for England Athletics, Julian Starkey, 62 was brought up on charges of serious misconduct for the 'unacceptable' comment he made at the Sporting Equals Leaderboard event on November 9th 2022.

Following an investigation, the prominent board member admitted to saying the statement with the caveat that there was a gap between the first and second sentence.

During the event which celebrates and promotes ethnic diversity within the sport, he was heard saying the following or similar words: “Usually when athletes start to be more specific in events, most black athletes tend to edge towards sprinting and hurdling... the blacks are all good at running because they have to get away from their burglaries”.

When the charges were put forward during the hearing, Starkey admitted the charge but put forward mitigation claiming he was dealing with mental health challenges at the time when the comment was made.

The disciplinary board accepted that he was suffering from mental health problems, but it did not believe that this mitigated against the misconduct committed.

When considering the length of ban, the panel said that they felt that holding a position in the governance structures of the national bodies was a higher position, and people in the sport should rightly look up to the people in those positions.

They concluded that ‘an exclusion from holding national positions for 24 months was too lenient when considering the severity of the misconduct, and therefore concluded that an exclusion for 36 months was the appropriate sanction’.

As well as receiving a three-year ban from England Athletic, the 62-year-old also is required to complete diversity education.

A statement from England Athletics said: "England Athletics operates a zero-tolerance approach towards discrimination and is committed to ensuring the sport of athletics provides an inclusive, safe, and welcoming environment for everyone.

"Anyone wishing to report any incidents of discrimination is urged to do so through the appropriate channels."

The News has contacted Bracknell Athletic Club for a comment.