The mother of an Illawarra Paralympic athlete accused of exaggerating her symptoms has strenuously denied the allegations and said the unfair attention is taking its toll on her daughter’s health.
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Amanda Reid (formerly Fowler) won a silver medal in cycling for Australia at the Rio Games in 2016.
Her former coach and other athletes who spoke to the BBC's File on 4 said they were highly suspicious about the changes in her condition.
But Amanda’s mother said there was no truth to the claims.
“We have been advised by the peak sporting bodies not to make any comment about this. It has been going on for a very long time and it’s false,” Kate Reid told the Mercury.
“Quite frankly this is taking its toll on Amanda’s health.”
The Australian Paralympic Committee has denied any knowledge of misconduct relating to classification.
It said Reid, of Werri Beach, had multiple disabilities and had undergone the same rigorous medical testing as other athletes.
Reid, who was then known as Amanda Fowler, was classified as an intellectually disabled swimmer when she competed at the London Paralympics in 2012, finishing fifth.
At the Rio Olympics in 2016 Reid competed as a cyclist in a new classification for physically disabled athletes.
Th BBC reports the new coach after the London Games, Simon Watkins, said Amanda's mother told him that she thought her daughter may have a rare genetic disorder with symptoms similar to cerebral palsy.
She reportedly enquired whether she might be able to change her classification to a physical disability.
He said he was emphatic about his own opinion: "She doesn't have a physical disability. So there isn't a way that you get a classification for physical disability. There isn't one present."
Disabled athletes are classified by a panel of volunteers based on how their impairment affects their performance.
They are assessed by a technical classifier, often a coach in that sport, and a medical classifier, such as a physiotherapist.
Part of their role is trying to spot intentional misrepresentation, where an athlete might exaggerate the level of their disability so they could be placed in a category where it would be easier for them to win medals.
Reid received athlete of the year with a disability at the NSW Champions of Sport Awards in 2017.