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Crowe, who joined the Canadian progam in 2007 and was promoted to head coach in 2015, is on leave at least through the Winter Olympics, which are set for Pyeongchang, South Korea next month. Auch would not say if Crowe is receiving his full salary.

Crowe has not responded to several emails and phone calls seeking comment from him since Speed Skating Canada announced that he would be on leave through the Olympics.

Auch, who would not identify the company retained to conduct the investigation, said there is no timeline for its conclusion.

“We’d like it to be done as quickly as possible.”

She would not specify the nature of the feedback that prompted the investigation.

“I cannot get into those details.”

She did say that the investigation was not a response to information Speed Skating Canada received about Crowe’s relationships with female skaters in the United States when he was a member of the U.S. national team coaching staff.

One of those former skaters, Chantal Cermak, said she and Crowe had a “totally unethical” two-year affair between 1993 and 1995 while he coached her on the U.S. national team. It began at a competition in Italy when she was 28 and he was 40 and married.

Another former American skater, Eva Rodansky, had been in contact with Auch last November. Auch reached out to Rodansky last May. Rodansky said Auch asked her to provide details of her dealings with Crowe on the U.S. speed skating team.

dbarnes@postmedia.com

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