Nearly 300 French coaches, educators, and sports administrators have been charged with sexual assault or with concealing such misconduct in 2023, according to the nation’s sports minister.
In response to 10-time French skating champion Sarah Abitbol’s book revelations in 2020 that she was sexually assaulted by her coach as a teenage athlete, France began a national campaign four years ago to investigate and eradicate sexual abuse in sports.
1,284 coaches, instructors, and sports officials have been the target of complaints since then. Of those, 624 were given temporary or permanent bans, while 186 became the subject of criminal proceedings.
Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra held a news conference in Paris on Thursday to submit the most recent yearly report on the countrywide probe. 377 persons were the subject of complaints in 2023: 81% of the victims were females – and ninety percent of those charged were men.
The minister stated that 293 coaches, instructors, and 15 sports officials were among those accused of abuse or its cover-up. The remaining individuals had part-time or casual administrative roles. Thirty-six have been charged with a crime, 176 have had their positions taken away from them either permanently or temporarily, and there are ongoing local investigations into further instances.
The abuse was said to have involved violence, harassment, and/or sexual assault. According to the minister, complaints were made against 45 sports federations nationwide and throughout the whole industry.
