Less than a week after the revelations of sexual abuse by ex-champion Sarah Abitbol and the ultimatum issued by the Minister of Sports, Didier Gailhaguet therefore threw in the towel during an exceptional federal council, without voting, last Saturday, renouncing his mandate as president of the French Federation of Ice Sports (FFSG). "For the sake of appeasement, I took with philosophy, with dignity, but without bitterness before his injustice, the wise decision to resign," he said, denouncing "the ministerial dictatorship". The head of the Federal Council, Maryvonne Del Torchio, whom Roxana Maracineanu will meet this week, ensures the interim before a new election within five weeks, according to the statutes.
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"This is a first step," said the minister. We must go through with the process. As of this Monday morning, a mission of the general inspection invests the premises of the FFSG in order to investigate "a few good weeks" in the world of skating. “And then, we also have on the territories, our agents who will go to the 176 clubs of the FFSG to accompany, but also to investigate. After analysis of our services, we will continue to make reports to the prosecutor. "" We need renewal, asked the president of ACSEL Caen, Ludovic Le Guennec, member of the Federal Council. At the level of structures, people. We need to start from scratch, especially after the episodes we have experienced. Very popular with the media in recent days, the names of former skaters Philippe Candeloro and Gwendal Peizerat, 2002 Olympic ice dance champion and unsuccessful candidate for the presidency of the FFSG in 2014, are already circulating, despite their respective denials as to their interest in the position. However, it is that of the former champion Nathalie Péchalat who returns most often, because "it is a woman and that she is brilliant", one hears among club leaders. "We saw each other and we have meetings on Messenger every night," says Peizerat. Some of them have already been received at the Ministry of Sports by Roxana Maracineanu.
"Colossal work"
At the end of last week, the revelations in skating spread to other sports. Thus, the French Equestrian Federation (FFE) has promised a "series of actions" after the accusations against three supervisors of a former professional rider. In football, the chairman of the Angers SCO, Saïd Chabane, targeted by complaints from four women, including an employee and two former club employees, was indicted for "aggravated sexual assault".
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"We will bring together the presidents of the federations for a convention on sexual violence on February 21," promised Roxana Maracineanu, determined. The idea is to put in place an adapted plan for each, according to the specifics of sports. A colossal job awaits us: to unify the files of the licensees of the federations so that we can then compare it with the automated national judicial file of the authors of sexual or violent offenses (FIJAISV). This would allow convicted persons no longer to go under radars and be able to exercise in contact with young people. "
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- Sexual violence in sport: our dossier to understand everything