Nathalie Pechalat out as President of FFSG

[MacMadame]

I have no words about this:

Sports de glace : Péchalat évincée, l’ombre de Didier Gailhaguet en coulisses

Surprise à la Fédération française des sports de glace : la sortante Nathalie Péchalat s’est fait évincer de la présidence par une inconnue, Gwenaëlle Noury, qu’elle assure être téléguidée par l’ancien président Didier Gailhaguet accusé d’avoir couvert un entraîneur mis en cause pour viols et...

www.sudouest.fr

 

[Sylvia]

This was tweeted on June 20 - "Pushed towards the exit in 2020 after the scandal of sexual violence, the former boss of the ice sports federation Didier Gailhaguet is active behind the scenes to dismiss his successor Nathalie Péchalat, who is seeking a second term [first full 4-year term]." https://twitter.com/jurisathemis/status/1538760145458581504
ETA - merci beaucoup to @Nmsis for posting (below) a summary of the Journal du Dimanche article that's linked in this tweet.

ETA that Paul Peret tweeted earlier today that Péchalat "received only 412 votes (47.7%) and was defeated by Gwenaëlle Gigarel Noury 452 votes and 52.3%": https://twitter.com/paul_peret/status/1540661686931161089

 

[Nmsis]

This is an article from the Journal du Dimanche (paywalled) from June 20th.

It is the candidacy of a woman novice in the federal arcanes, carried by a man who has spent his life maneuvering there. Opposite Nathalie Péchalat, who aspires to a second term on Saturday at the head of the French Federation of Ice Sports (FFSG), stands Gwenaëlle Noury, founder in 2017 of the Lorient club, which she chairs. But that's her shadow that the environment is especially looking at. The features of Didier Gailhaguet emerge there, twenty years of reign between 1998 and February 2020, the date on which he was pushed towards the exit following cases of sexual violence in skating. In recent weeks, it is he who has plowed the ground for Gwenaëlle Noury with the 162 club presidents called to vote.

“When he came to meet me at the end of April, he told me that he had already seen 115”

Gailhaguet also wrote a ferocious mail to the club presidents against Nathalie Pechalat at the begining of June.
This article points out how the whole Mrs Noury's campaign is actually Gailhaguet's. Even the graphical presentation of her program is the same as his in 2018.

In more recent articles, the rest of the press mentionned Gailhaguet's participation as hearsay from Nathalie, while the JDD actually has testimonies.
In her first declaration, Mrs Noury has recognized that Gailhaguet is a consultant of hers, "like any other consultant".
Mrs Noury is president of the little Lorient club in Brittany. Her name was unknown to most until the election.
Many didn't see this coming until very late.

So officially, Gailhaguet isn't back but officiously, he's running the circus again.

And the old athletes are totally split about the election.
Candeloro supported Mrs Noury because he's bitter toward Nathalie's presidency.
Sarah Abitbol didn't support Nathalie who left her outside the fed's new prevention policy. But she is now wary about Gailhaguet's return.
Peizerat wasn't supporting anyone but hearing that Gailhaguet was behind Noury's candidacy, he was a "de facto support" for Nathalie who pushed him aside in 2020.
Alban Préaubert didn't react. (he hasn't since 2020).
Anne-Line Rolland who is the only french skater to have sued her coach for rape and had him condemned, against Gailhaguet's support to the coach, says girls won't dare to speak anymore.

The new Sport Minister has congratulated Mrs Noury.

What a complete mess !
What a spectacular coup from Gailhaguet !
What an horror movie scene !

 

[Ananas Astra]

The Queen is dead, long live the King, I guess.

Jesus...do they ever learn?

 

[Coco]

Disgusting

 

[antmanb]

How is it even possible for it to be so openly admitted that Gailhaiguet is behind this new President? Wasn't the sport ministry on the verge of burning the whole federation down to the ground unless he left and now it's openly admitted that he's basically back?

 

[cholla]

French government has changed. The Minister of Sports is no longer the same. The new one, Amélie Oudéra-Castéra wished Gwenaëlle Gigarel-Noury a lot of success, underlining that all what had been done by N. Péchalat regarding sexual abuse and harassment should be pursued. With Gailhaguet pulling the strings, sure it will If Gailhaguet is ineligible to a new mandate because Péchalat had the statuses modified (not more than 3 mandates for a president), he will either have GGN change them back or will be appointed by her at a high rank within the federation. It's not illegal as he has never been condemned to anything in link with his forced resigning/retirement. + French Ministry of Sports was condemned to pay him € 5.000 for forcing him to resign (he was claiming 300.000 so it wasn't a great victory for him but still...) The presidents of French skating clubs (who vote @ the FFSG president election) are for the most part unknown people at national level and Gwenaëlle Gigarel-Noury is one of them. If I remember well, she is even quite new to the task (like 2 or 3 years only). That's why it's very clear she is Gailhaguet's puppet. He sided with her as soon as she ran for president and was extremely vocal and harsh towards Pechalat. The first thing GGN did on Saturday was to name Philippe Candeloro, Surya Bonaly and Brian Joubert, i.e. the old guard, her advisors (or something of the like, I don't remember the exact definition) and they have always supported DG against NP (except Candeloro who supports anyone who can be useful to him and changes his mind often). All this really doesn't bode well for the future of French skating. Péchalat was certainly not perfect, she did some mistakes (the biggest was to think she'd be easily reelected), but at least she was honest and rather fair, and she worked an awful lot to put things straight as she was left with a gigantic mess when she was elected herself. The clubs presidents have felt neglected and shun by her because she was never close to them, too busy elsewhere. Except at the end when she panicked and started showering them in mails and texts, telling on DG's maneuvers behind GGN's candidacy. She shot herself a bit in the foot... Still, I don't understand how 52,3 % of clubs managers voted for the virtual (and soon effective) return of the crook. It's just disgusting. They are apparently as rotten to the core as their guru

 

[On My Own]

I hope somehow IdF is taken away and given to some other fed. Imagine skating in a country that contains Gailhauget.

 

[cholla]

Imagine skating in a country that contains Gailhauget.

As much as I'd understand ISU to move IDF elsewhere, I live in a country "that contains" Gailhaguet and it doesn't make me a crook The 2nd part of your post is a bit uncalled for.

 

[On My Own]

As much as I'd understand ISU to move IDF elsewhere, I live in a country "that contains" Gailhaguet and it doesn't make me a crook The 2nd part of your post is a bit uncalled for.

That part was not meant to be taken literally nor does it imply you're a crook - but you do tell me, after your post about how Gailhauget might be pulling the strings of this new person who might be appointed as FFSG president, and how there literally might be nothing to be done about sexual abuse in your skating federation because he'll be pulling the strings, and how the French Ministry of Sports was condemned to be pay Gailhauget, aren't you at least a little disgusted by how your country's functioning? At least the sports side of it?

But sure, let's say "imagine bringing money to a federation that contains Gailhauget".

 

[Bigbird]

What did Pechalat do to offend so many of her constituents? Or is it that they just like their old ways?

Girl, get out while you can.

 

[MsZem]

I hope somehow IdF is taken away and given to some other fed.

Well, with two GPs already needing a new home, that's not going to happen.

 

[millyskate]

What did Pechalat do to offend so many of her constituents? Or is it that they just like their old ways?

Girl, get out while you can.

As @cholla mentioned she wasn't popular with club leaders as she didn't have much time for them - seems like she she was focused on the bigger picture and came across as dismissive then chased after them when she suddenly needed their votes.

I'm still shocked.

 

[cholla]

That part was not meant to be taken literally nor does it imply you're a crook -

It seems you missed the winking smiley.

but you do tell me, after your post about how Gailhauget might be pulling the strings of this new person who might be appointed as FFSG president, and how there literally might be nothing to be done about sexual abuse in your skating federation because he'll be pulling the strings, and how the French Ministry of Sports was condemned to be pay Gailhauget, aren't you at least a little disgusted by how your country's functioning? At least the sports side of it?

It seems you missed the "it's just disgusting" of my original post too. But I was talking about the French Federation, not the country. I'm not disgusted by how my country is functioning, no. There are loopholes in every system, and some people are excellent at taking advantage of them. I'm disgusted by the clubs presidents who, after licking Péchalat's boots for 2 and a half years, voted against her in order to go back to a rotten system. It's infuriating. As for the Ministry of Sports, if it was condemned to pay Gailhaguet (not "Gailhauget") it was for the minimum amount because of some technicality, otherwise he would have won the 300.000 €uros he claimed for. At least I'm not even remotely as disgusted by the way things go in France as to what is currently happening in my other country (I have dual citizenship). The election of Gwenaëlle Gigarel-Noury has nothing to do with how France is functioning, it's entirely due to a bunch of people who care for their own interests only. It's not the same in all French sports, and it can be as rotten in other countries. Nationality is not the problem.

But sure, let's say "imagine bringing money to a federation that contains Gailhauget".

Let's bring money to a federation so its skaters won't be penalized for what someone else did is more my style.

 

[MarieM]

Let's ask for the ministry to put the FFSG under its guidance. DG would flee.

 

[Bouffantrex]

More dysfunction from the French.... shocking.

 

[Meoima]

What did Pechalat do to offend so many of her constituents? Or is it that they just like their old ways?

Girl, get out while you can.

I know a coach in Nice and he said people were not pleased with Pechalat. She did not do anything to improve their relationship as he said.

 

[cheremary]

I know a coach in Nice and he said people were not pleased with Pechalat. She did not do anything to improve their relationship as he said.

Why were they not pleased with her? I‘m a bit unclear as to what changes she brought about during her term that may not have been popular with the clubs, or was it simply that she didn’t have much time for them? Happy to read any articles that might shed more light into this, if anyone knows of any.

 

[Coco]

Seems like someone MAY have asked people to put this word out there, that they weren't pleased with her, but very few concrete examples?

 

[Bigbird]

As @cholla mentioned she wasn't popular with club leaders as she didn't have much time for them - seems like she she was focused on the bigger picture and came across as dismissive then chased after them when she suddenly needed their votes.

I'm still shocked.

Not enough palms were greased it seems. Le sigh.

 

[Meoima]

Why were they not pleased with her? I‘m a bit unclear as to what changes she brought about during her term that may not have been popular with the clubs, or was it simply that she didn’t have much time for them? Happy to read any articles that might shed more light into this, if anyone knows of any.

I was talking to the guy on the way to the airport, and his (sorry) French accent did not help. All I know is that people in French fed were not pleased with her management.

 

[cholla]

All I know is that people in French fed were not pleased with her management.

Some of them were. Some weren't because they had worked under Gailhaguet in the past. She had kept some members of the former team because she needed them for the transition but I assume she had planned to get rid of them on her second term. So, sure they weren't happy. But they were not the ones who voted. Club leaders were. They are the main source of money via their registered members (@Nmsis, correct me if I'm wrong, you know how this works better than I). A lot of them complained that Nathalie let them fend for themselves and took care of Elite skaters only. In the past, Gailhaguet has always been good at soft-soaping them when he needed them. Lobbying is a big part of his system. Nathalie wasn't into that at all. When she was elected she had to face a gigantic mess and Covid all at once. She was never visible everywhere (even sometimes not at big competitions) like DG always was during his endless terms. She had to rule through countless emergencies. But people don't care about the greater picture, they are focused on their own interests. So they felt left out. Nathalie made mistakes, that's sure, but she did her best to straighten up the federation functioning and she managed to succeed. But it meant the end of privileges for a lot of clubs presidents and they made her pay for that with electing an obscure leader from a very tiny skating club, who has no experience whatsoever, but who has Gailhaguet as main support. Of course. He would not have picked out someone who'd had the nerve to stand his or her ground in front of him. But, even when you don't know much about running a sport federation, hiring as a "consultant" someone who covered rape and sexual abuse in the past, is beyond my grasp. You have to wonder if she is totally naive and stupid or if she has no moral. Or both.

 

[MarieM]

Of course they weren't pleased. She would not do as others had before her and wanted to wash all of this from the FFSG. She had too short a time to do anything.
And people who voted for the puppet, and those like Bonaly, Candeloro or Joubert who joined her team? They're like the puppetmaster. They joined him while he let girls / woman get raped by people HE protected.
Candeloro is FRIENDS with Sarah. That he has decided it's better to do the puppetmaster's biding is beyond my understanding.
They wanted something for themselves, that's all I can see. And they are now in the same bag as all those who have been doing the crooked puppetmaster's biding. I am highly disapointed in them.

 

[cholla]

Nathalie chose Surya Bonaly as "Godmother" for the World Championships in Montpellier. Nice way to say thank you

 

[MarieM]

She really had something when she "shunned" the old "glories" of the FFSG.
It proves she was right to do so and she should have done more to get them out.
And considering she had Brian & Candeloro host the french tour this year ....


I just wanna puke.

 

[Coco]

Nathalie chose Surya Bonaly as "Godmother" for the World Championships in Montpellier. Nice way to say thank you

I don't understand this comment. Can you elaborate?

 

[MarieM]

Nathalie asked Surya to be the godmother in Montpellier.
To thank her, Surya chose to side with Didier's namesake who got elected.

 

[mtnskater]

I thought Surya lives in the U.S. and obtained U.S. citizenship?

 

[cholla]

I thought Surya lives in the U.S. and obtained U.S. citizenship

Yes but she is still French too as it's not mutually exclusive. She was at every ceremony in Montpellier, and one of her most famous skating outfits was exposed in the hallway.

 

[Jammers]

Well it won't matter much anyways now that P/C are probably done even with no Russians competing France has no contenders in any discipline now.