He had promised revelations, "documents" in support, this Wednesday at the headquarters of the federation. The president of the ice sports federation, Didier Gailhaguet, suspected of having remained silent on the facts of sexual assault and rape on the part of trainer Gilles Beyer, has repeatedly pointed the finger at the responsibility of the ministry Sports of the time. He rejected a new hypothesis of an immediate resignation, saying he would give himself the time for the inspection carried out by the Ministry of Sports.
"I discovered 90% of these facts through the press and through a book," he said. "They are awful. They are inadmissible. We can no longer bear them, ”said Didier Gailhaguet, who claims never to have been informed of the facts mentioned. “At this time, Mr. Beyer was not the subject of any complaint. He was cleared by police investigations, "defends the president.
Didier Gailhaguet notably returned to the charges brought against the former coach. “I met a high level skater at the end of her career. She told me about embarrassing, ambiguous situations, not rape or touching. I offered her professional listening, psychiatric support and legal advice that she encountered, ”he says.
This case was not followed up, however. "I think that Mrs. Buffet was a good minister, but on this file, her services malfunctioned," said the president.
The Ministry of Sports targeted
He also mentioned an investigation into two young girls, for which he was heard. "This investigation completely cleared Mr. Beyer without any complaints having been filed. The prosecution did not prosecute and convicted Mr. Beyer on one point only: the death threats he made against me at that time. The coldness of our relationships was later tempered, I say very fortunately, "says Didier Gailhaguet.
This intervention follows the revelations of former skater Sarah Abitbol, who claims, in her book "Un si long silence", that she was raped between 15 and 17 years old by her trainer Gilles Beyer. French figure skating faces a scandal that splashes not only the ex-coach, who has since recognized "inappropriate relationships", but also the president of the federation of ice sports, Didier Gailhaguet, suspected of having covered his actions.
During his press conference, the president of the federation also took the time to recall the other cases of sexual abuse or suspicion of sexual abuse that occurred in the skating community, explaining, on each occasion, that decisions were taken accordingly, or by handing over responsibility to the local sports authorities.
"A federation is not the police"
"A sports federation is not the police, it is not the justice system, it is even less the Ministry of Sports", thundered Didier Gailhaguet. "I am soiled by shabby people who do not know my job," he also said at the start of the intervention, denouncing a current Minister of Sports "draped in certainties and also mad media coverage, and sometimes , inaccurate ”.
Newsletter - The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu asked Didier Gailhaguet to resign, a request that was received with some anger by the president of the skating federation, who assured him that he will not take a decision "before the end of the inspection ”carried out by the Ministry of Sports.
On the government side, we support "obviously" this resignation request, assured this Wednesday Sibeth Ndiaye, his spokesman. "The executive which is in place (within the FFSG, Editor's note) is not able today in a serene way to correctly administer this federation", she added, during the report of the Council ministers.
The shock wave goes beyond the world of skating, since athletes are rising today to denounce sexual violence in sport.