Sexual violence in skating: "I didn't judge him", Maracineanu's response to Gailhaguet

After the counterattack, the response. Present this Wednesday evening at the Ministry of Justice for the presentation of the action plan on the systematization of the checks on good repute and the judicial file of the authors of sexual or violent offenses against children, the Minister of Sports Roxana Maracineanu reacted to virulent remarks made against him by Didier Gailhaguet earlier in the afternoon at a press conference. The president of the French Ice Sports Federation, who described her as a "moralizing minister", has cleared himself of all responsibility and refuses to resign, as the minister asked him Monday during an interview with the person concerned. .

The latter then went even further with regard to the former swimmer on RTL. "I found Madame Maracineanu extremely violent towards me ... I do not give her the impunity to judge me so easily against the background of upcoming elections and possible reshuffle. ". Roxana Maracineanu's response was quick to come. "He gives himself the right to judge me," she said. I did not judge him. Personally, I have nothing to share with this gentleman. It is above all his function as President of the Federation to which the Ministry of Sports has given a delegation that I question. "

"There are dysfunctions in this federation"

Before reaffirming its willingness to push Didier Gailhaguet to resign and to withdraw from the Federation its public service delegation, for which it will initiate proceedings. "I question the functioning of this federation," said the minister. The numerous testimonies which have gone back to us and the facts exposed in the press, not by me, but by sportsmen who live in this federation, make us think that dysfunctions exist in this federation. I find it difficult to remedy this if we do not touch on the structure and governance of this Federation. This is why I asked for his personal resignation, I did it in a more human context. When you know what is going on in this federation, with athletes who have suffered and will suffer all their lives, it is the simply human responsibility of a volunteer president of a sports association to resign. "

Roxana Maracineanu also questioned Didier Gailhaguet's version of the investigation against Gilles Beyer, the ex-trainer accused of rape by the skater Sarah Abitbol and whom the president is suspected of having protected.

"Gilles Beyer was a sports educator within the framework of a national framework, and he was the subject of an investigation of the general inspection mandated by Marie-George Buffet, and not by Mr. Didier Gailhaguet as he said at his press conference, rectified the minister. He was removed from this national framework. Ten years later, Mr. Gailhaguet, president of the Federation, asked the executive committee to reinstate him in the supervision of junior teams as Team Leader in contact with young children. "

VIDEO. Sexual violence: Gailhaguet denies having “committed a fault”