U.S. speedskater Mitchell Whitmore banned after fight with Dutch coach

A top U.S. speedskater has been given a one-year ban for injuring a Dutch team coach during a late-night scuffle outside a hotel.

Mitchell Whitmore, a two-time Olympian, will remain ineligible through March 2017, the international skating federation announced Monday.

The incident took place on Dec. 2, 2015, outside the Hotel Siedl in Inzell, Germany, according to a federation report.

Dutch coach Stefano Donagrandi claimed Whitmore and skaters from other countries pulled into the parking lot about 3:30 a.m. and began making noise. Donagrandi said that when he walked outside to ask for quiet, he was knocked down and roughly pinned against the ground.

The coach suffered facial cuts and a dislocated shoulder.

Whitmore and another skater testified that a shouting match with Donagrandi escalated when the coach shoved Whitmore, who responded in self-defense. The athletes said Donagrandi subsequently kicked their car, denting the driver’s side door, as they pulled away.

Federation officials ruled that Whitmore’s response to Donagrandi’s shove constituted “excessive force” that was “greater than that which is required to stop an immediate attack.” They also noted the skaters had spent the evening at a bar prior to arriving at the hotel.

Whitmore can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.