Does french figure skating have a culture of rape ? FFSG in the storm

[nimi]

The minister for sports says Didier will be heard very soon and will be asked to explain why he let Beyer back to the Fed. She also hints at applying financial pressure if needed.

Violences sexuelles : « Didier Gailhaguet va être entendu », annonce Roxana Maracineanu

La ministre des sports Roxana Maracineanu a réagi aux révélations de notre enquête sur les agressions sexuelles dans le sport. Le président de la Fédération des sports de glace Didier Gailhaguet va être convoqué très prochainement au ministère.

www.lequipe.fr

Screenshots & translation here:

𝕄 (@East_From_Eden) | Twitter

The latest Tweets from 𝕄 (@East_From_Eden). 32. She/Her. AC: 4377-2768-4490. Français & English. Bi🌈. Book lover📚. Uniquely obscene & sophisticated.☀️Virgo ♍️, ⬆️ Taurus ♉️, 🌙 Aries ♈️. France

twitter.com

I hope this time there will be actual consequences, unlike 20 years ago when there was an investigation but apparently nothing much happened (thread):

𝕄 (@East_From_Eden) | Twitter

The latest Tweets from 𝕄 (@East_From_Eden). 32. She/Her. AC: 4377-2768-4490. Français & English. Bi🌈. Book lover📚. Uniquely obscene & sophisticated.☀️Virgo ♍️, ⬆️ Taurus ♉️, 🌙 Aries ♈️. France

twitter.com

Oh, and there's this:

🥖🥐 | Kuroko's #1 fan on Twitter

“I went to the website of les Français volants, the club Gilles Beyer used to head and 🙃 he's still the manager of technical advicer of the rink... And guess what, it's J/C's club and Morgan Ciprès was welcomed to their rink last December and they let him train skaters.”

twitter.com

 

[MarieM]

Yup. Un panier de crâbes. They all know each other and have been around one another since 1976. And more when they were competing. This explains why Didier has his hands tied IMO.

 

[Orm Irian]

Yup. Un panier de crâbes. They all know each other and have been around one another since 1976. And more when they were competing. This explains why Didier has his hands tied IMO.

He knows where their metaphorical bodies are buried, and they know where his are, I assume. Standoff/mutual aid society; call it what you will, the result's the same...

 

[kwanfan1818]

Time to start excavating.

 

[nguyhm]

L'Equipe newspaper is publishing an investigation about sexual abuse of girls in the sport, targetting figure skating and swimming.
3 (older) female figure skaters are accusing several veteran coaches.
The stolen youth of female figure skaters

And, other than the 3 figure skaters ....
Sarah Abitbol accuses her ex coach of rape

Sarah Abitbol has written a book whose sale starts tomorrow.
She has given an interview to L'Obs
The club of sexual predators (which alludes to a rape culture within figure skating)
I've been raped by my ex coach when I was 15yo (video of her interview)
You trampled on my soul

Most of theses articles have limited access.
The french version of the HuffPost doesn't.

2 (ex-very important, still influencial) members of the FFSG are among the 3 named coaches.
They are denying.
Gailhaguet isn't answering the journalists.

Sh*tstorm is coming.

I have no words - it's so horrible

 

[nimi]

Anne-Line Rolland (the skater who was abused by her coach Pascal Delorme, see this post) and Emmanuelle Anizon (journalist & co-author of Abitbol's book) on French TV talking about FFSG's culture of enabling abusers... or something along those lines, I don't really speak French, sorry!

𝕄 (@East_From_Eden) | Twitter

The latest Tweets from 𝕄 (@East_From_Eden). 32. She/Her. AC: 4377-2768-4490. Français & English. Bi🌈. Book lover📚. Uniquely obscene & sophisticated.☀️Virgo ♍️, ⬆️ Taurus ♉️, 🌙 Aries ♈️. France

twitter.com

Michel Lotz is suing Anne Bruneteaux and Béatrice Dumur, the 2 women who talked to L'Equipe about Lotz abusing & assaulting them when he was their coach in the 80s, for libel (is that the right term?)

Allier - Violences sexuelles dans le patinage : l'entraîneur de l'Allier mis en cause assigne ses accusatrices en justice

Mercredi, L'Equipe et L'Obs ont publié les témoignages édifiants d’anciennes patineuses qui accusent leurs entraîneurs de l’époque de violences sexuelles quand elles étaient mineures. L’un d’eux, Michel Lotz, qui réside dans l’Allier, nie fermement les faits et a décidé de contre-attaquer sur le...

www.lamontagne.fr

This Le Monde article outlines the disturbing accusations against Lotz originally published in L'Equipe

D’anciennes patineuses françaises accusent leurs entraîneurs d’agressions sexuelles

Dans une enquête publiée mercredi par « L’Equipe », Hélène Godard, Anne Bruneteaux et Béatrice Dumur accusent d’ex-entraîneurs d’agressions et de viols lorsqu’elles étaient mineures. Dans un livre, Sarah Abitbol charge aussi l’un d’eux.

www.lemonde.fr

 

[Primorskaya]

I never expected the damage was that deep and far-ranging despite all the stories coming out from various countries. I hope this will happen to ALL sports, all environments where adults have God-like powers over the life and future of children and teenagers. It stinks, it's awful, but it needs to come out. It's part of a tidal wave really. #MeToo was only the first wave.
Meanwhile Gailhaguet and the coaches and "old boys" from that network need to face courts and if still active be sacked and replaced by CLEAN people with immediate effect.

 

[starrynight]

Gosh that statement from the French Fed isn’t ageing well is it?

hope this will happen to ALL sports, all environments where adults have God-like powers over the life and future of children and teenagers.

Yes this.

 

[VarBar]

Beyer and Racle know too much about Gailhaguet. They are from the same generation that has been in the same circle for the past 50 years. They know where the bodies are buried. This mafia-style leadership where they are thick as thieves.
When Gwendal ran against Didier, it was heartbreaking to hear the painful stories of the skaters that wanted change.

Just to add that the response of the Ministry of Sports to Sarah reporting on her rapist coach should tell us something about the kind of people who work in the government structures. The rabbit hole might be going a lot deeper than one can imagine.

As far as the scandal expanding to other sport, l'Equipe in one of their articles speaks of four female swimmers of France who are accusing their coach or coaches of having sexually abused them when they were 13-14. So yeah, it's happening.

 

[kirkbiggestfan]

Didier is done!

Just to add that the response of the Ministry of Sports to Sarah reporting on her rapist coach should tell us something about the kind of people who work in the government structures. The rabbit hole might be going a lot deeper than one can imagine.

As far as the scandal expanding to other sport, l'Equipe in one of their articles speaks of four female swimmers of France who are accusing their coach or coaches of having sexually abused them when they were 13-14. So yeah, it's happening.

Jean-Francois Lamour: the ministry of sport is a former olympic athlete that transitioned into politics. He told Sarah there was a file about her coach but that they were going to ignore it. The file has since been purged. It is not difficult to imagine that Lamour picked up the phone and called Gailhaguet right away. Lamour has climbed the political ranks and was VP of a major political party.

Didier has a lot of political connections that helped him cover up scandals over the years. The political landscape has changed a lot recently and it's getting harder for him to use his influence. It will take a revolution to dethrone Didier. I am hoping that public shame and pressure will help. For example, do not let this man walk into a rink at Montreal worlds as if nothing had happened.

 

[SandraMGfan]

Didier G is meeting with the French Minister of Sports on Monday - so hopefully gone by Tuesday...
in the meantime a petition calling for his resignation has been opened:
Appel à la démission du Président de la Fédération Française de Patinage sur Glace (FFSG)

 

[kwanfan1818]

so hopefully gone by Tuesday...

He's been gone before...

Is this the same French Minister of Sports who had Abitbol's coach's incriminating file destroyed?

 

[barbarafan]

Didier is done!

Jean-Francois Lamour: the ministry of sport is a former olympic athlete that transitioned into politics. He told Sarah there was a file about her coach but that they were going to ignore it. The file has since been purged. It is not difficult to imagine that Lamour picked up the phone and called Gailhaguet right away. Lamour has climbed the political ranks and was VP of a major political party.

Didier has a lot of political connections that helped him cover up scandals over the years. The political landscape has changed a lot recently and it's getting harder for him to use his influence. It will take a revolution to dethrone Didier. I am hoping that public shame and pressure will help. For example, do not let this man walk into a rink at Montreal worlds as if nothing had happened.

mmmmm That is a hard one. We get drilled from babies to be gracious and welcoming to vistitors on pain of death(joking) especially French Canadians....it would have to be sooooooooooooo subtle. Does he have an underling attending Worlds with him? Maybe they can invite the underling to award medals and not him. Make his hotel and room number public.....you know no hot water.....get stuck in an elevator.....cold food....half a bottle of cod liver oil in his coffee. Marching band in room next door. No porn on the TV.

 

[SandraMGfan]

Is this the same French Minister of Sports who had Abitbol's coach's incriminating file destroyed?

No, it's a she - former Olympic swimmer Roxana Maracineanu

 

[victorskid]

Canadians may be warm and welcoming, by nature, but that did not stop the booing of "Speedy"

 

[PRlady]

Didier G is meeting with the French Minister of Sports on Monday - so hopefully gone by Tuesday...
in the meantime a petition calling for his resignation has been opened:
Appel à la démission du Président de la Fédération Française de Patinage sur Glace (FFSG)

happy to see you don’t have to be French. Signed and contributed $3 for more ads.

And we in Washington are actually polite and conservatively-mannered by US standards but Speedy was booed within an inch of his life in 2003.

 

[Alli84]

When Gwendal ran against Didier, it was heartbreaking to hear the painful stories of the skaters that wanted change.

As a newer fan, I'm playing catchup... Can you point me in the right direction to learn more about this?

 

[LarrySK8]

FFSG needs to adopt the Zagitova Rule. Just. Do. Not. Touch. Her.

 

[kirkbiggestfan]

Violences sexuelles dans le patinage : «J’ai lancé l’alerte et ils me le font payer», affirme Didier Lucine

Entraîneur à Annecy, Didier Lucine a écrit à la fédération française il y a vingt ans pour dénoncer les possibles agissements de Gilles Beye

www.leparisien.fr

Didier Lucine says that he acted as a whistleblower 20 years ago. Vanessa Gusmeroli told him that Beyer was acting like a pig during camps. Lucine says that Didier G made his students pay the price for so long. He is saying that Didier and his wife Katia Krier spoiled the life of many of his athletes. (Lucine trained Ponsero, Contesti, Gusmeroli, Kim Lucine, Marrocco,...) Gusmeroli said that Beyer used to slap the skater's butt...

 

[kirkbiggestfan]

Today, Beyer issued a public apology for "the inappropriate relationship". Sarah replied that she refused the apology and said he raped her. The club " Les Francais volants" issued a statement saying that Beyer was removed from his position. There are a lot of articles and the floodgate is finally open.

 

[swissskate]

Didn't know that Katja Krier, who can be often seen next to Kevin Aymoz in the KnC, is Gilles Beyer's wife

 

[Orm Irian]

Didn't know that Katja Krier, who can be often seen next to Kevin Aymoz in the KnC, is Gilles Beyer's wife

She's also head of the French figure skating team, isn't she, and DG's effective second-in-command? And I seem to remember that she was Laurine's (emergency) interim coach in the period between Jean-Francois Ballester's death and her moving to Lorenzo Magri. It's quite the little cabal over at the FFSG...

(I'm absolutely not implying anything with regard to Laurine here, and just to make it clear why, last I heard - which was recently, and from a friend of hers - she maintains she did not take cocaine intentionally for either competitive or recreational purposes and is in the process of putting together a legal case to take to the anti-doping agency. All I'm getting at is how incredibly interlinked all these people are and how intertwined with so many members of the current French team. Which in itself does help us to understand why none of them have said anything: would you dare to go up against this rat's nest of ratbags alone? Especially when it would be throwing away your career to do so?)

 

[kirkbiggestfan]

Didn't know that Katja Krier, who can be often seen next to Kevin Aymoz in the KnC, is Gilles Beyer's wife

And she also happens to be Didier's ex-girlfriend ( I kid you not)

 

[ChiquitaBanana]

mmmmm That is a hard one. We get drilled from babies to be gracious and welcoming to vistitors on pain of death(joking) especially French Canadians....

 

[MarieM]

Gwendal just wrote on his facebook page the most wonderfull answer to it all.

 

[MacMadame]

Gwendal just wrote on his facebook page the most wonderfull answer to it all.

I assume this is the one you mean:

Gwendal Peizerat

Après avoir tenté de lutter par la voix des urnes, en sollicitant le bon sens des présidents de clubs, après avoir tenté de leur faire comprendre qu’une organisation dirigée par une personne amorale...

www.facebook.com

 

[millyskate]

The petition has been signed by Marylin Pla, Yannick Ponsero, Gwendoline Didier, Catherine Huc and Vivien Rolland (all former members of the French team) as well as coach Jean-Christophe Simond.

 

[Immortelle]

Old men in power, this song just keeps playing on loop

 

[Orm Irian]

Here is a translation of Gwendal Peizerat's* post done by a native French speaker, which conveys some of the nuances lost to Google translate.

Sorry for the missspelling.

 

[starrynight]

Here is a translation of Gwendal Pechalat's post done by a native French speaker, which conveys some of the nuances lost to Google translate.

Pretty powerful statement from Gwendal.

I'm sure Gailhaguet considers himself invincible as he fixed the result of the Olympics and got away with it.