An investigation has been opened into suspicions of cheating during the last edition of the Vendée Globe (2020-2021), the presidency of this round-the-world sailing race announced on Tuesday, confirming information from Télégramme.
“The president of the French Sailing Federation kept me informed of the anonymous e-mail he had just received, implicating a skipper who would have benefited from routing information during the last Vendée Globe,” wrote the president of the Vendée Globe, Alain Leboeuf, in a press release.
Assistance is prohibited during the race
However, the race is obviously known to be non-stop and without assistance.
The exchange of messages allowing “personalized meteorological assistance” and “routing” is prohibited by the Vendée Globe regulations, according to article 4.3.2.
The federation “asked the Race Committee to appoint a jury which will be responsible for analyzing the veracity and content of the elements in question.
I have complete confidence in the relevant sports authority and I will await the conclusions of its investigation,” added Mr. Leboeuf.
No name of skipper has been communicated.
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The next edition of the Vendée Globe is scheduled to depart on November 10, 2024, from Les Sables-d'Olonne.
This edition will be without the Frenchman Kévin Escoffier, mired in complaints for inappropriate behavior and whose affair had already shaken the sailing world in recent months.