NEW YORK - Sexual abuse and harassment by coaches and others who held positions of power over women on the US Biathlon team have been dismissed, ignored or excused over decades by officials more concerned with winning medals than holding offenders accountable, the Associated Press on Wednesday cited a half-dozen former Olympians and other biathletes.

While the men involved climbed the ranks of the sport, these women, who described a culture of abuse dating back to the 1990s, said that they were forced to end their racing careers early.

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One coach resigned after the young biathlete he was accused of sexually abusing attempted suicide, but he was later hired to coach the US Paralympic team.

Max Cobb, who the women say was informed but failed to address the claims, went from US domestic team manager to CEO of the US Biathlon Association and is now secretary general of the International Biathlon Union, the worldwide governing body of the sport, which combines cross-country skiing on trails with target shooting.

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"US Biathlon leadership always seems to choose to support the predators instead of the person who was abused," said Grace Boutot, a 2009 Youth World Championship silver medalist.