the FFVoile cancels the suspension imposed on Kévin Escoffier for “procedural defect” – Libération

Sexual violence file The French Sailing Federation canceled this Friday March 22 the sanction imposed on skipper Kévin Escoffier, suspended after accusations of sexual violence, due to a “procedural defect” raised by a conciliator from the French National Olympic and Sports Committee ( CNOSF).

Skipper Kévin Escoffier, accused of sexual violence by several women, sees a “procedural flaw” coming to his aid. It is for this reason that, this Friday March 22, the French Sailing Federation canceled the sanction imposed on the skipper native of Saint-Malo (Brittany). On October 20, the 43-year-old man was suspended for 18 months.

In an opinion delivered on March 15, the conciliator of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) estimated that the FFVoile disciplinary body had not “sufficiently guaranteed the principle of adversarial proceedings”, suggesting that the procedure be ended. initiated last October. “In this context, and even if it regrets that a procedural defect led to the cancellation of the disciplinary sanction imposed on Kévin Escoffier, the FFVoile has decided to accept this proposal,” explained the Federation in reaction this Friday. In its press release, the FFVoile still considers that it “was justified in initiating disciplinary proceedings” against the sailor “taking into account the body of evidence brought to its attention”.

“Inappropriate behavior”

On the basis of testimonies, the FFVoile accused Kévin Escoffier of “inappropriate behavior” during an evening in a bar in Newport (United States) in May 2023 towards a young woman from his team, who described having suffered sexual assault. However, during his hearing before the disciplinary committee, Kévin Escoffier was not confronted with “witnesses who reported facts relating to sexist or sexual violence”. “At the request of the accused person’s lawyer, these people were invited to participate in the disciplinary hearings but they all responded negatively to this request,” explains the federation.

At the end of the procedure, the sailor received, in addition to his suspension for 18 months from all competition, a provisional withdrawal of his license for a period of five years. In its press release published today, the FFVoile specified that it would not relaunch the procedure because this “would require a hearing of the victims in the presence of Kévin Escoffier” and the federation assures that it thus wishes to “protect the people who have had the courage to report.” Furthermore, the federation stated its “desire for the case to now be handled within the framework of the current criminal procedure in Brittany” which is based in particular “on the complaints of the victims”.

In July 2023, the Paris prosecutor’s office opened a judicial investigation into the events that occurred in Newport. She has since been entrusted to the Lorient police station (Morbihan). Shortly after the media coverage of the events, Kévin Escoffier left the Holcim-PRB monohull team at the beginning of June 2023 while he was competing in The Ocean Race, a crewed round-the-world race with a stopover. Since an interview given in June 2023 to L’Equipe and Ouest France a few days after his departure from the team, the man has no longer spoken in the media. During this interview, the sailor affirmed “to be at the disposal of sporting institutions”. The browser has always disputed the alleged facts.

At the helm of the Imoca Holcim-PRB, Escoffier has since been replaced by navigator Nicolas Lunven. The double winner of the Solitaire du Figaro will set off on April 28 from Lorient in the first solo transatlantic race of the year heading to New York (United States). Before this affair arose, Kévin Escoffier, naval engineer and member of an illustrious family of sailors, had expressed his desire to take on the next Vendée Globe from Les Sables-d’Olonne (Vendée) on November 10, 2024.