Allison Jones, THE CANADIAN PRESS

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TORONTO - A 20-year-old member of the 2008 Canadian Olympic archery team has been charged with child pornography offences, his coach said Thursday.

John David Burnes was arrested in Kingston, Ont., as part of an Ontario-wide child pornography sweep last week that resulted in 93 charges against 31 people. He has been charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of making available child pornography.

Burnes, born in Toronto and now a student at Queen's University in Kingston, competed in Beijing this summer and placed 63rd in his event.

His coach, Joan McDonald, confirmed to The Canadian Press that Burnes the archer is the young man facing child pornography charges.

McDonald said she learned of the charges from the media.

"They called me and asked me the question and I called his parents," said McDonald, who added Burnes's parents confirmed the charges.

She called the situation a tragedy, adding, "it's always a tragedy when young people are in trouble."

McDonald said she would not discuss the charges further.

"In Canada you're innocent until you're proven guilty."

To her knowledge Burnes will continue with archery, McDonald added.

A court official in Kingston said Burnes's next scheduled court appearance is May 5.

The date of birth listed for Burnes on the court file also matches the archer's biography on the official Canadian Olympic Committee website for the Beijing Games.

Michael Chambers, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee, called the charges troubling.

"It's disturbing when you hear a charge of that nature is laid against anyone," Chambers said from Whistler, B.C., where he was attending celebrations to mark the one-year 2010 Winter Olympics countdown.

"If a person has been charged, they are presumed innocent until found guilty... I would not want to make any comment on what they may be facing."

Bruce Savage, the president of Burnes's archery club, The Archers of Caledon, had no comment when asked about the charges.

Burnes attends Queen's University and the COC biography says he plans to pursue a career in medicine. McDonald said she believes he wants to transfer from a general arts program into kinesiology.

The COC information also notes Burnes was the youngest member of the Canadian archery team.

He won an individual bronze medal and team silver medal at the 2007 Canada Winter Games and won a silver medal in a junior category at the 2006 Canadian Archery Championships.

The biography lists his hobbies as skiing, running, golfing, canoeing, graphic design, painting and photography.