Abuse in figure skating: coach charged with sexual assault

Friday, January 8th, 2021

Abuse in figure skating
Coach charged with sexual assault

Six cases of abuse are under investigation against the former French coach of figure skater Sarah Abitbol. The now 45-year-old former World Cup third party had started the case with her revelation biography, the coach asked for forgiveness. Now a criminal case follows.

Former French figure skating coach Gilles Beyer has to answer for abuse in court. As the AFP news agency reported, citing legal sources, Beyer has been charged with sexual assault in at least six cases. The trigger was the accusation of the former couple runner Sarah Abitbol that Beyer had sexually abused her as a teenager. She made this public last February. Abitbol's revelatory biography "Un si long silence" (in German about "Such a long silence") had set the investigation rolling, the French judiciary initiated a preliminary investigation.

The coach later admitted his misconduct and apologized to the now 45-year-old former World Cup third party. In addition to Beyer, his coaching colleagues Jean-Roland Racle and Michel Lotz were also accused by other runners of sexual assault. The events are said to have occurred between the late 1970s and the 1990s. Cases from other sports such as swimming also became public.

Ice skating president reluctantly resigns

The French Olympic Committee CNOSF had given the victims its full support. "Freedom of speech, which affects many sectors of society today, must be upheld for justice to prevail," a CNOSF statement said. One will "take full responsibility in accordance with the Code of Sport".

France's sports minister Roxana Maracineanu had called on ice skating president Didier Gailhaguet to resign in the course of the investigation. Gailhaguet has been at the head of the association since 1998, with a temporary break (2004 to 2007). He followed this request with some delay and has since been replaced by the two-time European ice dance champion Nathalie Pechalat.

The initiation of proceedings now means that the investigators see serious or consistent evidence of misconduct. The initiated proceedings could lead to a criminal case if the investigating judges see sufficient evidence in the end. Otherwise they could drop the case.