Skiing under pressure: Estelle Alphand denounces Trainer-Sechaud!

Skiing under pressure: Estelle Alphand denounces Trainer-Sechaud!

The world of skiing is in turmoil. Estelle Alphand, a former French ski racer and daughter of ski legend Luc Alphand, has made serious allegations against her former coach Anthony Sechaud in an interview. She reports massive moral harassment and bullying during her time on the French team from 2014 to 2018. These allegations were also supported by other former athletes who had similar experiences. Alphand, who moved to Sweden in 2017, describes her time under Sechaud as “terrible” and said she often found out about her involvement in races through media reports, even though she regularly set the fastest times in training and was therefore competitive among international skiing’s elite. Her decision to move to Sweden was no coincidence after she considered quitting skiing altogether in 2017.

Serious allegations against the coach

In her interview, Alphand discussed the unequal treatment of female athletes under Sechaud, who served as direct coach of the French women's team between 2014 and 2018. Sechaud is said to have favored some runners and devalued others. According to Alphand, contracts were signed that sidelined some athletes. Jennifer Piot, 2017 World Junior Downhill Champion, confirmed in her remarks that she had faced negative comments. Marie Massios, who resigned in 2018, reported a constant feeling of fear during training.

The Fédération Française de Ski has responded to the allegations. Fabien Saguez, president of the Federation, expressed sadness at the athletes' reports and condemned unacceptable comments that had not been approved. He also acknowledged possible mistakes, but assured that there was never any intention to cause harm. A group led by Tessa Worley defended Sechaud and praised his meritocratic approaches, further dividing opinion in the Scandinavian community.

Comparison to other ski associations

This situation is strongly reminiscent of similar allegations in the Austrian Ski Association, where women's head coach Roland Assinger was confronted with moral harassment. In recent years there have been repeated reports of unsustainable conditions in various ski associations, which address both the psychological and physical demands of the athletes. It is known that athletes in alpine skiing have to train under extreme conditions, which places special demands on psychological support. The article by Kai Engbert and Victoria Seitz reports on the importance of mental training in this sport in order to prepare athletes as best as possible for competitions and their stress.

Overall, it shows that the issue of moral harassment in sport is a complex and important issue that not only affects French skiing, but also points to broader social structures. The voices of athletes must be heard and taken seriously in order to bring about a change in training conditions and communication within teams.

For further information and deeper insights into the problem, you can refer to the detailed reports: Krone, [Le Parisien]. BISP.