A new scandal erupted in French figure skating. Former trainer and functionary of the French Ice Sports Federation (FFSG) Gilles Beyer admitted that he was intimate with his student Sarah Abitbol - bronze medalist of the 2000 World Cup paired with Stefan Bernadi.
“I admit that I entered into an intimate relationship with her. Perhaps my recalling the details of this relationship is different from hers. But I understand that, given my position and Sarah's age at that time, this relationship was unacceptable in any case ... I made a mistake not understanding what harm I can do to her through my actions ... I sincerely regret and bring Sara Abitball my apologies ... Although I understand her, I am sorry that in all these years she never talked to me about this. Our paths often crossed, but I did not even suspect how deep her spiritual wounds were, ”quotes 62-year-old Beyer FR24News.com.
Shortly before, Abitball published a book, “Such a Long Silence,” in which she said that Beyer had raped her more than once. This happened between 1990 and 1992. The skater was then 15-17 years old.
“When I was 15, I spent the night outside the house. I was vulnerable, and you took advantage of this. Even today, as soon as I leave the house, I feel scared. I'm scared to go to unfamiliar places. Unknown means danger, ”L'Equipe cites a passage from the book.
According to Abitbol, for the first time Beyer forced her to have sexual intimacy when she underwent an eight-week internship with him. According to the athlete, one night Beyer came to her room, touched her under the covers and kissed her. At the same time, the trainer smelled of alcohol.
Similar episodes continued for all two years, while Abitball remained a student of Beyer. The skater recalled that at the same time the coach behaved cruelly in the classroom and did not hesitate to touch her or other athletes in public. In the end, Abitball decided to leave solo skating in doubles. When she paired up with Bernadi, harassment by Beyer stopped, and Abitball was able to build a successful career. For ten years in a row, their duet became champions of France, seven times rose to the podium of the European Championships and won the bronze of the World Cup in 2000. Abitball and Bernadi could qualify for the Olympic medals in 2002, but because of a partner injury, they did not perform in Salt Lake City.
In the past, Bayer already had suspicions of sexual harassment of minors. In 2000, coach Didier Lucin expressed his concern about his behavior towards students and wrote letters to the FFSG and the French Ministry of Sports. However, without statements from possible victims, the scandal did not flare up. The following year, Beyer was deprived of the position of sports consultant at the ministry, continuing to work as a coach and functionary. From 2014 to 2018, he was a member of the FFSG Executive Committee and, until his confession, Abitball remained the CEO of the France Shuttlecock club. Immediately after the recognition of the athlete, Beyer was removed from all positions in the club.
“The club brings its deepest condolences to its members about what happened. We intend to pay maximum attention and make every possible effort to maintain the long-term trust of club members and their families in our organization and our coaches, ”said after everything that happened in the France Shuttlecock.
In addition to her, former skater Helen Godard made allegations against Beyer. She told L'Obs that she was raped in the 1970s when she was only 13 and 14 years old. At 15, Godard was also abused by Jean-Roland Racle, the future Abitball coach in pairs skating.
According to the victims of the trainer, Beyer was helped by the patronage of Didier Gayage, President of the FFSG in 1998-2004 and from 2007 to the present. In the 1970s, they were engaged in figure skating together, and later held leadership positions in the federation. It is noteworthy that in 1974, Beyer and Gayage became winners of the French championship along with another athlete Pascal Delorme. In 2003, he, as a coach, was charged with raping 12-year-old skater Ann-Lynn Rollan and sentenced to ten years in prison. Gayage then gave a positive testimonial to Delorme, which was opposed by six more girls.
Over the past two months, this is the second episode in French figure skating related to harassment. Earlier accusations of inappropriate behavior were brought against European champion in pair skating Morgan Sipre, speaking with Vanessa James. The media reported that during preparations for the 2018 Olympic Games in Florida, the athlete sent social media photos of his genitals to the 13-year-old athlete, with whom he trained in the same arena. The FFSG then expressed support for Sipre and provided him with a lawyer for the duration of the proceedings launched by the US Safe Sports Center.