On Wednesday, a former Canadian track and field coach and president of the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club was found guilty of historic sexual abuse dating back more than four decades. Ken Porter, 76, was convicted in an Edmonton court on five criminal charges involving the sexual abuse of teenage boys between 1976 and 1980.
High-profile Canadian track coach guilty of historic sexual abuse of his young athletes https://t.co/gTkEXFsDPK pic.twitter.com/7frWdOyp21
— The Vancouver Sun (@VancouverSun) June 12, 2025
According to the Vancouver Sun, Porter was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault and three counts of gross indecency. Alberta Justice Nicholas Devlin gave the verdict in Edmonton, the same location where half the victims had trained under Porter during their teen years. The judge described Porter as “an adult in authority using a child for their sexual gratification.”
“The sexual touching during trackside massages constituted gross indecencies,” Devlin wrote in his decision. “The acts were non-consensual, sexual in nature … done to minors, and caused discomfort, confusion and even revulsion amongst the victims. Touching the anus and genital areas of teenage boys without true consent constitutes a serious infringement of sexual autonomy and can cause profound psychological harm.”
Porter was acquitted of five additional charges after it was determined that one complainant had misremembered some details in the intervening years.
Andy McInnis and Ken Porter receive lifetime bans from Athletics Canada
One victim testified that Porter frequently took him out alone for dinners, sometimes involving alcohol, while another, referred to only as “J”, recounted being shown pornographic magazines during a dinner at Porter’s apartment with other teenage athletes.
Porter was regarded as one of the top sprint coaches in western Canada in the 70s and 80s, coaching with the Edmonton Olympic Club. J was one of several complainants who joined the club to train with Porter as a teenager in the late 1970s.
Even though the offences occurred almost five decades ago, the case was reopened by Edmonton police in 2019 following a report by the Vancouver Sun and a review by Athletics Canada. In March 2019, Porter was suspended by Athletics Canada alongside longtime Ottawa Lions coach Andy McInnis, after both were accused of failing to maintain a safe environment for athletes.
Although nine individuals made allegations of abuse against Porter, the charges in this trial only involved four complainants. Porter testified in his own defence, claiming he had no intent to touch the boys sexually, but Justice Devlin dismissed his testimony as lacking credibility and filled with “contradictions, vacillations and absurdities.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing grooming or abuse, there are support and crisis lines you can reach out to in your province. Visit Ending Violence Canada for more information.
