President Henriques back after two months of withdrawal

In withdrawal for almost two months, the president of the French Olympic committee (CNOSF), Brigitte Henriques returns to business, ending the direction temporarily provided by a quartet of leaders since her absence, announced the CNOSF on Tuesday.

«After observing a period of rest for a few weeks and relying on a quartet of elected officials who ensured operational governance, Brigitte Henriques fully resumes this week the missions related to the presidency.“, announces the instance in a press release.

«She will be present in particular on the various institutional sequences of the month of December, including this Thursday, December 8, during the information and exchange meeting with the representatives of the 109 federations and members of the CNOSF.“, specifies the instance.

This return, which some at the CNOSF did not envisage for several more weeks, comes in a climate which still seems heavy in the house of French sport, due to the conflict between the president and its former secretary general Didier Séminet which continues.

After months of conflicting relations, the president of the CNOSF, elected in June 2021, had decided to separate from the one who was then her right arm, a departure which had been recorded on September 12.

A week later, she filed a complaint against Séminet for “emotional abuse“, before announcing on October 12 to withdraw, replaced at the head of the CNOSF by a quartet of leaders (Michel Callot, Astrid Guyart, Jean-Pierre Suitat and Sébastien Poirier), plunging the institution into an unprecedented situation.

Didier Séminet replied on November 8 by filing a complaint in turn against Brigitte Henriques for “slanderous denunciation» et «breach of trust».

After the announcement of this complaint, and the revelations of the online daily Mediapart on taxi bills for the president’s daughter settled by the CNOSF, several administrators asked to be able to consult the accounts of the body, a request refused by the quartet of leaders.

During his absence, the hypothesis of a definitive withdrawal of the president had been raised by several members of the CNOSF with AFP, on condition of anonymity.

«I think something broke and it won’t come back. But we’ll see what will happen“Explains to AFP a source close to the mysteries of sport. Today their challenge is to re-federate people who have been torn apart for months. That must be his number one goal. If she doesn’t, it will be unlivable.”

The next CNOSF board of directors is to be held on December 15.