Five young women, all minors at the time of the alleged incidents, contacted Le Monde following our report on sexual harassment accusations against Joël Chenal, Olympic silver medalist in the giant slalom from the 2006 Turin Winter Games and former coach of the French national team from 2013 to 2017. These five new testimonies, which add to the previous seven, concern acts allegedly committed between 2005 and 2021. The modus operandi was always the same: After making contact via social media, Chenal, taking advantage of his status as a champion, would offer his coaching services before steering conversations toward sexual exchanges.
“How many times did I receive messages from him while he was aroused, suggesting I come see him and promising pocket money, all while he watched pornography,” said Aurélie (all first names have been changed), now 23, who said she was regularly harassed from age 11 to 18, up until 2019. “One day,” she continued, “I was in high school and he was driving me home. He didn’t say a word because I refused to talk about sex with him. I was so scared the whole ride that I stayed pressed against the car door, legs tightly together, in case he got angry. When I got home, I told my mother everything and begged her not to file a complaint. I was afraid people would think I was lying.” Contacted about these new allegations, Chenal did not respond.
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