Following Le Monde‘s revelations concerning allegations of sexual violence against Joël Chenal, the French Ski Federation (FFS) announced in a statement on Wednesday, July 23, that it was opening “a disciplinary procedure with immediate provisional suspension” of the 2006 Olympic silver medalist who later became a coach.
In the article published Wednesday, Le Monde revealed that five young women had made new allegations against Chenal, in addition to the seven testimonies detailed in the first part of the investigation, published July 4. One of them filed a complaint Monday for sexual assault. The prosecutor’s office in Albertville, a town in the French Alps, told ICI pays de Savoie that “an investigation has been opened.”
As reported Wednesday, the FFS referred the case to its ethics committee after our initial investigation. On Wednesday, in light of the new and serious allegations against Chenal, FFS President Fabien Saguez decided to accelerate the disciplinary procedure, citing the organization’s “ethical principles and its zero tolerance for violence and inappropriate behavior.”
‘Supporting the victims’
Saguez, who was the French women’s national team coach before becoming the federation’s technical director in 2006, has led the FFS since 2022. He was therefore in charge during the period (2013-2017) when Chenal was also coaching French women skiers competing in the World Cup. In the first part of our investigation, Saguez said: “We parted ways with Joël because we no longer needed him as a coach.” In the same article, the FFS added: “If any reprehensible acts had been proven, the federation would necessarily have taken immediate action.”
In its statement Wednesday, the FFS announced that it intended “to join the case as a plaintiff, thus affirming its commitment to supporting the victims, cooperating fully with judicial authorities and establishing the full truth about these unacceptable acts.”
“No leniency or silence will be tolerated. The FFS will relentlessly continue its efforts to prevent, report and sanction any violation of ethics and human dignity,” the federation concluded.
France’s Ministry of Sports, contacted by Agence France-Presse, said it “takes note” of the FFS’s decision and specified that an administrative investigation had been opened following the first part of Le Monde’s investigation. The ministry stated it was “closely monitoring the progress of this investigation and any measures that may be taken.”
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