Olympic Sailing: National Coach Suspended as a Precautionary Measure Following Report of Moral Harassment

According to information from Le Monde , Philippe Boudgourd, national coach of the 470 class (mixed double-handed dinghy) at the French Sailing Federation (FFVoile), had his professional card withdrawn as a precautionary measure at the end of June for six months, after being reported to the departmental service for youth, commitment and sports of Charente-Maritime, a decentralized service of the Ministry of Sports.

"When we were informed by the ministry, we had not received any testimony but the national technical director took the decision to have Philippe Boudgourd return from the competition venue where he was [Kiel Week, in Germany] . Missions not related to training were entrusted to him, since he is temporarily no longer authorized to come into contact with athletes," confirmed Jean-Luc Denéchau, president of the FFVoile, specifying that, according to the "few elements" at his disposal, the alleged facts would amount to psychological harassment.

"Philippe Boudgourd was the subject of an administrative police measure, taken urgently on June 27 by the prefect of Charente-Maritime, which prohibits him from exercising the functions of coach for a period of six months. The measure could be extended beyond this period, in the event that criminal proceedings are initiated," stated the Ministry of Sports, which does not wish to provide further details on an ongoing procedure.

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