"Breaking the silence is also serving sport": several high-level French athletes on Tuesday called in a forum to "give voice" following revelations about sexual abuse in the French skating community.
Teddy Riner, Nathalie Péchalat or Tatiana Golovin
"The recent revelations of sexual assaults suffered by several young athletes shake the system and awaken our anger", wrote in Le Parisien the members of the High Level Athletes Commission of the CNOSF (the French Olympic Committee), among which are judo star Teddy Riner, ice dancer Nathalie Péchalat or tennis player Tatiana Golovin. "We express our support and our solidarity with the victims (...) We can no longer be silent! It is time to act collectively and to realize that breaking the silence is also serving sport", continued the fifty signatories.
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The tribune was published on the Parisian website a few hours after the announcement of the opening of an investigation by the Paris prosecutor's office, for rape and assault on minors by a person having authority over the victim.
The scandal erupted with the publication Thursday of a book testimony of the one who was ten times champion of France of figure skating in couple, multi-medal European and world in couple. In "Un si long silence" (éditions Plon), Sarah Abitbol accuses her former trainer of raping her when she was 15 to 17 years old, facts that would have occurred between 1990 and 1992, a period in principle covered by prescription.
Set up "training, awareness and prevention actions"
Friday, Gilles Beyer, 62, acknowledged in a written statement to AFP, "intimate" and "inappropriate" with Sarah Abitbol, offering her "apologies" that the latter refused. Other former skaters have issued charges against Gilles Beyer and other coaches. Tuesday, the signatories of the rostrum pleaded for "the creation of a cell of listening to the victims, independent of the federations", as well as a systematic control of the criminal records and criminal record "of the volunteers, the trainers and the leaders of clubs and federations ".
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They also called for "training, awareness and prevention actions" and "legislative measures" for those involved in cases of sexual violence. Also accused of his passivity, the president of the Federation of ice sports Didier Gailhaguet was called on Monday to resign by the Minister of Sports Roxana Maracineanu. He is due to speak on Wednesday at a press conference but said on Tuesday evening that the question of his resignation would not be resolved before the end of the inspection carried out by the ministry.