“Congratulations to them”: former Minister of Sports Marie-George Buffet salutes the gymnasts who have freed the floor

These are revelations that caused a stir. Several former gymnasts from the France team have spoken out, first in Stage 2 then in Europe 1 Sport (live every evening from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), openly denouncing situations of abuse when they were high-level athletes. Poignant testimonies which aroused the compassion of Marie-George Buffet in the sports program of Europe 1. Recently appointed co-president of the National Committee for Ethics in Sport by the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the former -General Secretary of the French Communist Party wanted to “pay tribute to those who speak up because it’s not easy.”

Six former gymnasts, including four speaking with their faces uncovered, unanimously denounced physical or psychological violence on the part of a senior leader of the French artistic gymnastics team and a coach. A courageous action on the part of these athletes: “You have been in the family of sport, you have had coaches, you have to bring strong criticism against the family to which you belonged. So congratulations to them”, greeted Marie -George Buffet at the microphone of Céline Géraud.

“Go further”

After these shocking revelations, the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra quickly cracked down. Vincent Pateau, technical director of the France gymnastics center in Marseille, had recently been sentenced to six months in prison suspended for moral harassment. He will no longer be able to exercise a “managerial function”, according to the ministry. For Marie-George Buffet, these measures taken are essential, but not sufficient: “The minister took steps very quickly, that’s very good but I think we have to go further. We have to have a look on the training conditions in high performance. How are our coaches trained today? How do athletes find their way if they are used to being abused? Youth and Sports under the government of Lionel Jospin.

“You shouldn’t just say, ‘Something happened at the Gymnastics Federation’, but you have to deal with the problem itself.” “The question is: what are the conditions of well-being that ensure that our athletes will have results but without calling into question their integrity”, she continued. Now co-president of the National Committee for Ethics in Sport with former athlete Stéphane Diagana, Marie-George Buffet is preparing to work on various missions to allow sports federations to find a certain serenity, they who have been going through for several months critical moments. Several lines of work are in particular under study, such as allowing a more ethical, more democratic and more protective governance of sport for practitioners, men and women alike.