French prosecutors to investigate rape claim of ice skating champion
- Published
Champion skater Sarah Abitbol said she was first raped by coach Gilles Beyer when she was 15
Prosecutors in France have opened an investigation after a champion figure skater accused her former coach of raping her as a teenager.
In an autobiography released last week, Sarah Abitbol alleges that Gilles Beyer first abused her when she was aged 15.
Mr Beyer has admitted to "intimate" and "inappropriate" relations with her, and said he was "sincerely sorry".
As part of their investigation, prosecutors said they would try to establish if anyone else was abused.
Three other skaters have accused Mr Beyer and two more coaches - who are all from the official French Ice-Skating Federation (FFSG) - of abusing and raping them when they were minors.
Jean-Roland Racle denies the accusations and Michel Lotz has not commented.
Ms Abitbol and her skating partner, Stéphane Bernadis, are 10-time French national champions, and have won seven European medals. At the 2000 World Championships, the two became the first French pair to win a world medal in nearly 70 years.
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But in her book, Such a Long Silence, Ms Abitbol alleged that she was raped by Mr Beyer between 1990 and 1992.
"He started to do horrible things leading to sexual abuse," she told L'Obs magazine. "It was the first time a man touched me."
The former skater, who is now 44, rejected Mr Beyer's apology and said that she wanted accountability for "all those who covered up [the crimes¨] both in the club and the federation".
Mr Beyer, after coaching Ms Abitbol, went on to direct France's national skating teams. In the early 2000s he was the subject of two investigations into misconduct.
The second investigation, conducted by France's sports ministry, found repeated "serious acts" against young skaters. His contract as a technical adviser was terminated in 2001.
Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu has called for the resignation of Didier Gailhaguet, head of France's skating federation
But despite his dismissal, Mr Beyer continued to work with hockey club Les Francais Volants and, until 2018, served several terms with the FFSG.
On Monday, French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu called for the resignation of Didier Gailhaguet, who has been president of the FFSG almost continuously since 1998.
Mrs Maracineanu said that a "general dysfunction" existed within the federation, and Mr Gailhaguet had a "moral and personal responsibility" to step down.
While unable to sack him, Mrs Maracineanu said the federation would face sanctions if he remained.
Mr Gailhaguet said he would "think about" a resignation, and is expected to hold a press conference on Wednesday.
- Published20 January 2020
