French figure skating has just lost Thursday the one who was at the origin of the tsunami of sexual violence in the discipline three years ago.

In January 2020, former skater Sarah Abitbol, ​​bronze medalist at the 2000 world championships, had indeed accused her ex-trainer Gilles Beyer of having raped her at 15, in her book

Un si long silence

.

He died at the age of 66 on Thursday, as revealed by

Le Nouvel Obs

.

After these revelations of 2020, the director of the French flying club had been dismissed and a judicial investigation had been opened.


If the facts were prescribed concerning Sarah Abitbol, ​​other skaters had in the process testified to the investigators, and French figure skating had then been dragged into a scandal of sexual violence up to its federation.

So that in January 2021, Gilles Beyer had been indicted for “sexual assault” and “sexual harassment”, before being placed under judicial supervision.

Contacted Friday by

Le Nouvel Obs

while preparing a new "Holiday on Ice" tour, Sarah Abitbol said she was "in shock", just after learning of the death of her alleged attacker: "He leaves before being judged, I would have liked there to be a trial.

It's crazy, this death comes just a week before my show, where I talk about this trauma, the liberation of my speech, my rebirth, and my return to the ice.

God has decided so”.

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  • Sport

  • Sarah Abitbol case

  • Figure skating

  • Sexual violence

  • Justice