France: Scandal of sexual violence in sports

Paris. A national campaign against sexual violence in sport in France has exposed more than 400 coaches, teachers and others suspected of committing or covering up abuse.

Most of the victims were under 15, according to data released by the sports ministry after a year of investigations. Alleged abuses include assault, harassment and other forms of violence.

Sixty people are facing criminal proceedings and over 100 have lost their jobs temporarily or permanently. Other cases are under investigation, the ministry said.

The abuse covers the entire country and many disciplines, with allegations against a total of 48 sports federations.

96% of the accused are men. 83% of the victims are women and 63% are under 15, the ministry said.

The investigation was launched in February 2020, when 10-time French skating champion Sarah Abitbol said in a book that coach Gilles Beyer raped her several times between 1990 and 1992, when she was a teenager. Beyer must respond to preliminary allegations of sexual assault and ongoing investigation.

Following Abitbol’s allegations, other skaters denounced the coaches’ alleged sexual violence. The Ministry of Sports created a platform to receive testimonies from athletes and held hearings for a year.

The ministry said in a statement that Abitbol’s testimony was “a historic moment for French sport”, which sensitized and determined the authorities to fight abuses. Since Friday, there have been stronger rules for evaluating sports teachers, including volunteer coaches. The government and sports federations are committed to responding more quickly and effectively to allegations of abuse.

The Minister of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, played a crucial role in raising awareness. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, the former swimming champion described her own experiences with sexism and said it was time to change the French attitude towards women’s rights in the male-dominated world of sport.

At a government meeting on Friday to assess the campaign against sexual violence, Abitbol said it was “healing” and was pleased to see other victims making public complaints, the daily L’Equipe reported. Former tennis champion Isabelle Demongeot described the “battle” she had to wage against the public and her colleagues, accusing her coach of rape. Former hammer thrower Catherine Moyon de Beacque, the first to publicly denounce the abuses in 1991, praised the current measures taken “at the highest level in the state”.