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

[Kelvster]

I wonder whether annick dumont has ever said anything about didier? I find annick a charismatic person .. and her commentatory on France2 is also so loud and entertaining.... anyway, don't want to change the topic. Just wondering ...
I hope ffsg gets cleaned up ... but it takes a lot of guts and willpower from ppl!!

 

[starrynight]

I don’t imagine a politician like the minister for sports would have been in a position to act so very very decisively so quickly to intervene into a skating issue unless she had people with influence advising her to do it.

Normally politicians never make any decision without setting up at least 3 committees and taking 2 years.

I expect Gailhaguet has made so many enemies (on many different fronts) that a lot of people have contacted the minister and encouraged her to do this.

Its certainly remarkable that France has moved so quickly to act.

 

[Miloune]

I don’t imagine a politician like the minister for sports would have been in a position to act so very very decisively so quickly to intervene into a skating issue unless she had people with influence advising her to do it.

Normally politicians never make any decision without setting up at least 3 committees and taking 2 years.

I expect Gailhaguet has made so many enemies (on many different fronts) that a lot of people have contacted the minister and encouraged her to do this.

Its certainly remarkable that France has moved so quickly to act.

I don't know if it influenced her decision but she's not really a politician, she's primarily a former sport woman herself (swimming champion).

 

[VarBar]

Lying about Surya Bonaly's past?

Surya Bonaly 1993 Worlds fluff

Silver medal - Prague / Czech Republic

www.youtube.com

So much deception everywhere. The people portrayed as respectable are not respectable at all.

 

[misskarne]

Now that we know the athletes going to Worlds won't be affected, I vote the nuclear option. Burn the fed to the ground and start again.

 

[MsZem]

Now that we know the athletes going to Worlds won't be affected, I vote the nuclear option. Burn the fed to the ground and start again.

From what posters familiar with the French system have written, the nuclear option affects everyone involved in the sport - kids and lower level skaters, coaches at all levels, people who depend on the clubs for their livelihoods. With all due respect to the skaters going to Worlds, the lower level people are no less important and vastly more of them would be affected.

The current situation is clearly untenable, but if the FFSG can be fixed, it should be.

 

[misskarne]

From what posters familiar with the French system have written, the nuclear option affects everyone involved in the sport - kids and lower level skaters, coaches at all levels, people who depend on the clubs for their livelihoods. With all due respect to the skaters going to Worlds, the lower level people are no less important and vastly more of them would be affected.

The current situation is clearly untenable, but if the FFSG can be fixed, it should be.

Oh, I guess so...I didn't realise. I wish they could nuclear-option without affecting the clubs. I feel like DG's slimy tentacles probably reach everywhere.

 

[nimi]

According to a twitter user who works in sports law: in the event of decertification, FFSG can no longer receive state aid and affiliated clubs lose their accreditation as well, and thus the possibility of receiving state aid & municipal subsidies. I guess this means the club presidents have a strong financial incentive to kick Didier out (if he refuses to resign) in order to avoid decertification?

J-C Breillat on Twitter

“@bbarbusse @DidierKilkenny @jbguegan @RoxaMaracineanu En cas de retrait d'agrément : 1) la délégation tombe automatiquement 2) la FFSG ne peut plus percevoir d'aides de l'Etat (CO+CTS) 3) Les clubs affiliés perdent leur agrément et donc la possibilité de percevoir des aides de l'Etat (+ en...

twitter.com

Video clip of Maracineanu clarifying what would happen if after 15 days they're not happy with FFSG's answers and decide to go ahead with decertification (for rough translation, click the link and read the 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

The French Olympic Committee (CNOSF) released a statement saying they've taken note of the requests and decisions made by the Minister and will proceed in accordance with the sports code (etc.) and that they support victims of sexual violence and will participate in the national convention to combat violence, incl. sexual violence, in sports, scheduled for Feb 20:

Le CNOSF prend acte des décisions de Roxana Maracineanu à propos de la FFSG et de Didier Gailhaguet

Dans un communiqué publié ce mardi, le CNOSF a déclaré avoir « <i>pris acte des demandes et décisions formulées par la Ministre, Roxana Maracineanu à l'issue de son entretien avec</i> [...] <i>Didier Gailhaguet</i> » lundi.

www.lequipe.fr

Screenshot of the press release here: https://twitter.com/SportSociete/status/1224656715909599232/photo/1

And finally, an article in English providing an overview of the situation:

Skating rape accusations ‘only the tip of the iceberg’ for French sport

French sport officials used to claim they had fewer sex abuse scandals than others because their flagging system worked better. With that belief now shattered, the government is promising forceful action…

www.france24.com

The article ends on a hopeful note:

Décamps and other experts have been invited to attend a conference organised by Sports Minister Maracineanu on February 20 to discuss ways to tackle sex abuse in sports, including by tightening controls on coaches, many of them volunteers.

French sport is heavily reliant on the personal investment of some 3.5 million volunteer workers, from the directors of small sports clubs to the drivers who accompany children to competitions. In their case, the lack of a legal framework makes it hard to weed out past offenders. Volunteers wishing to coach an amateur team need not produce a criminal record, nor are their employers required to check the national register for sex offenders.

“We are talking about paedophilia, clearly about inadmissible things in society,” Maracineanu, France’s first swimming world champion, told French state radio in the wake of the Abitbol revelations. “In sport it is even less acceptable since parents, each year, confidently entrust their children without asking themselves this question. They need to be able to continue doing that,” she added.

Her commitment marks a welcome change of tack for the likes of Boueilh, long accustomed to government inaction.

Arguing that her predecessors had done “precious little”, he added: “It is heartening to see we finally have a minister who has decided to take the bull by the horns.”

 

[Vagabond]

Am I a bad person if I hope that the FFSG's day goes something like this tomorrow?

 

[kwanfan1818]

Oh, I guess so...I didn't realise. I wish they could nuclear-option without affecting the clubs. I feel like DG's slimy tentacles probably reach everywhere.

With all due respect to the skaters going to Worlds, the lower level people are no less important and vastly more of them would be affected.

The current situation is clearly untenable, but if the FFSG can be fixed, it should be.

The clubs are what put and kept DG in power the first time, brought him back, and supported rule changes that consolidated his power and made him that much more difficult to oust procedurally.

That they are using the poor skaters at every level, the cash and political cows, as human shields, should make little difference. Historically speaking, the FFSG responds to "fixes" as cosmetic surgery, just like most Feds. If anything, the skaters at all levels deserve it to be blown up. #sorrynotsorry.

 

[Erin]

That Didier is so selfish that he may let the federation be decertified rather than resigning speaks volumes. I don't understand what he is trying to gain here - whether he resigns or decertification happens, he would be (for the moment) out of power either way.

Lying about Surya Bonaly's past?

Surya Bonaly 1993 Worlds fluff

Silver medal - Prague / Czech Republic

www.youtube.com

I was going to post the same thing! Didier has always been slime, and what happened in 2002 was just one example. It's a shame that this is what it has had to come to in order to potentially take him out. And unfortunately, I'm afraid that if he does get ousted, it will only be temporary, just like 2002.

 

[barbk]

And finally, an article in English providing an overview of the situation:

Skating rape accusations ‘only the tip of the iceberg’ for French sport

French sport officials used to claim they had fewer sex abuse scandals than others because their flagging system worked better. With that belief now shattered, the government is promising forceful action…

www.france24.com

The article ends on a hopeful note:

Reminds me of our trip to Greece/Turkey right after Chernobyl exploded. We couldn't read Greek, so we were buying copies of LeMonde to get info. For the first while, it was all on the order of, "Others are panicking, but as French we know not to get overly excited, it is not likely to be a significant issue." Then it turned out that the French government had been hiding the actual data and there was fallout in France. The reporting got a lot more excited after that.

 

[MarieM]

Didier was a good head of the FFSG once, I'm sorry noone wants to admit it. Many skaters do own him some of their successes.

Reminds me of our trip to Greece/Turkey right after Chernobyl exploded. We couldn't read Greek, so we were buying copies of LeMonde to get info. For the first while, it was all on the order of, "Others are panicking, but as French we know not to get overly excited, it is not likely to be a significant issue." Then it turned out that the French government had been hiding the actual data and there was fallout in France. The reporting got a lot more excited after that.

Oh please, do not go there. The french government didn't lie. The explanations given weren't wrong and still are not. The fact is that the Professor who went on TV overly simplified things and people got excited because of how the nuclear plants were run and informations flowing were obscure at that time.
Why panick? As data now shows, it's pretty clear the explosion didn't have lasting effects on people, and we're still learning from it. What it gave France is more facility to detect health problems, that can't be traced to what happened in Ukraine (and believe me, I was one of those who thought the facts would prove that).
The panick clearly did cause more damages than good, everywhere.

 

[MsZem]

Didier was a good head of the FFSG once, I'm sorry noone wants to admit it. Many skaters do own him some of their successes.

You wrote this yesterday, and I asked for examples. I'm genuinely curious - what were his better moments as head of the FFSG?

 

[kwanfan1818]

Didier was a good head of the FFSG once, I'm sorry noone wants to admit it. Many skaters do own him some of their successes.

Many people owe their success to Richard Callahan, too. Many people owe their success to coaches and Federations associated with Nassar. I'm sure DG did a few good things for someone while he was screwing over Zagorski and Massot and P/C through their former coaches as well. A stopped clock is right twice a day.

Most people on FSU paid little attention to him, going or bad, until the SLC Olympics. If there's something to be said in his defense, the people who know about it can chime in at any time. Especially any time he wasn't protecting the Beyers of the world at the same time.

 

[MarieM]

You wrote this yesterday, and I asked for examples. I'm genuinely curious - what were his better moments as head of the FFSG?

He supported skaters when they wanted to train abroad, brought in coaches to help them developp (Natacha Dabadie for the team in 94, Shatin Rushpaul to A&Peizerat, coaches when Brian refused to go and train abroad), helped them anyway he could. But the list of bad things is IMO as long. A mixed bag.

 

[Primorskaya]

Gailhaguet is the kind of network guy who could worm his way back in unless you root him thoroughly out. On ne fait pas d'omelette sans casser des oeufs, cleansing the FFSG means disrupting a lot of lives. However, being sexually abused is a lot more disruptive. So I hope they do go for the bomb. A little revolution now and then is a healthy thing, as we well know

 

[taz'smum]

I'm sure DG did a few good things for someone while he was screwing over Zagorski and Massot and P/C through their former coaches as well. A stopped clock is right twice a day.

I understand where @MarieM is coming from.
I saw 2 sides to him.
Obviously, I saw the side that blocked Tiff's release.. (and boy would that make interesting reading if ever put into a book) - then the other side, the side where he had your back.
If he had your back, he would move heaven and earth to help you get what you want.
Though in effect, on reading back the last sentence, I realise that his 2 sides are both at play there.

 

[Prancer]

If Didier had been an all-around horrible human being who never did anything to benefit anyone, he would not have gotten anywhere. It's pretty hard to find someone completely lacking in positive qualities who is also successful.

 

[MacMadame]

But the list of bad things is IMO as long. A mixed bag.

Considering the list of bad things includes bringing back a coach who rapes his under-aged students, I would say the bad quite outweighs the good.

People refer to DG as a Mafioso. The mafia protects their own no matter what. So if you are considered part of the family, you get coaches brought to you or support for training abroad. But also, you get a job even though you rape underaged skaters. And if you aren't in the family...

It's 2-sides of the same coin IMO and not a mixed bag at all.

 

[misskarne]

He supported skaters when they wanted to train abroad, brought in coaches to help them developp (Natacha Dabadie for the team in 94, Shatin Rushpaul to A&Peizerat, coaches when Brian refused to go and train abroad), helped them anyway he could. But the list of bad things is IMO as long. A mixed bag.

Because helping a few skaters with coaching completely is weighed equally as all of the corruption, covering up massive sexual abuse, and literally holding skaters' careers hostage. Right-o.

 

[Orm Irian]

He supported skaters when they wanted to train abroad, brought in coaches to help them developp (Natacha Dabadie for the team in 94, Shatin Rushpaul to A&Peizerat, coaches when Brian refused to go and train abroad), helped them anyway he could. But the list of bad things is IMO as long. A mixed bag.

That's not so much doing a particularly good job as just plain fulfilling the requirements of his role, really.

Making people feel they have to be grateful to you for doing what you're supposed to be doing for them, as if it were a great favour that they implicitly owe you for (and alongside an implied threat that you could always be the next Bruno Massot if you get too above yourself), is another tactic psychological abusers frequently use.

 

[Asli]

Didier was a good head of the FFSG once, I'm sorry noone wants to admit it. Many skaters do own him some of their successes.

So what Marie? It seems Gqılhqguet dıd whatever was best for his own success as head of the federation. If this meant bringing in foreign coaches, he did that. If it meant turning a blind eye to the rape of teenage skaters, he did that as well.

Even if French skaters had been the champions of the universe in all disciplines for twenty consecutive years, that wouldn't excuse the abuse of a single teenager.

 

[Asli]

Women have got to be present in positions of power in all fields. Only then will there be some glimmer of hope for a solution!

 

[hoptoad]

Aside from whatever happens with Didier, I'm interested in what kind of investigation is going to happen.

Who will conduct it and how deep will it go? There must be a lot more victims, and I hope it will be done in such a way that more athletes can come forward and be heard and help remove the guilty coaches and officials.

 

[Japanfan]

Didier was a good head of the FFSG once, I'm sorry noone wants to admit it. Many skaters do own him some of their successes.

Just because a criminal did some good things doesn't make his/her crime any less of a crime.

 

[Vagabond]

Welcome back, @Asli. I missed you.

 

[PRlady]

Women have got to be present in positions of power in all fields. Only then will there be some glimmer of hope for a solution!

ITA. And welcome back, Asli.

 

[insideedgeua]

I’m in South Korea and watching this being reported on Euronews. Right now the story is being repeated at least every hour.

 

[VarBar]

Women have got to be present in positions of power in all fields. Only then will there be some glimmer of hope for a solution!

Women in positions of power is no guarantee at all. Women can be child mollesters too. There are plenty of police reports about women who abused even their own kids physically and emotionally. It's not a matter of gender. Some people are just sick and evil whether males or females.