French Ski Federation Suspends Coach & Former Olympic Medalist Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations

The French Ski Federation (FFS) has announced the opening of disciplinary proceedings as well as provisional suspension of retired ski racer and former national coach Joël Chenal, following mounting allegations that he sexually harassed underage female athletes during his coaching career.

• Related: Olympic Vice Champion Accused of Sexual Harassment of Minors

The decision, announced Wednesday, July 23, comes after French newspaper Le Monde published an in-depth investigation on July 4, detailing the accounts of seven women who allege that Chenal had engaged in inappropriate and sexually explicit communication with them between 2005 and 2021. Subsequently, Le Monde announced on July 22, that an additional five women came forward after publication of the former article, recounting similar stories of misconduct by Chenal. At the time, all of these women were minors, some as young as 11 years. Each time the modus operandi by Chenal appears the same: after making contact through social media, Joël Chenal would take advantage of his status as a champion ski racer, initially offering his services as a coach, before deviating to unsolicited sexual exchanges. One victim recounts how, on numerous occasions, he suggested she come over to see his erection while he was watching pornography, offering pocket money in exchange. Others recount sexual affairs with the much older coach, admitting that it took them years to realize that he was exercising coercive control over them.

Following these new witness accounts, the FFS president launched disciplinary proceedings and imposed an immediate provisional suspension on Chenal. The suspension marks a dramatic escalation in a growing scandal that has shaken the French skiing world and raised serious questions about institutional accountability in elite sports. Chenal, 51, a silver medalist in giant slalom at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, served as a coach for France’s national team from 2013 to 2017. “Following the publication today of a new press article providing new information, including the identity of witnesses, and following the initial testimonies gathered by its ethics committee, the president of the federation has decided to open disciplinary proceedings with the immediate provisional suspension of Joël Chenal,” the FFS said in a statement.

According to Le Monde, Chenal would reach out to these underage girls on social media, praising their looks, soliciting nude photographs, and proposing private photo sessions. The accounts, now totaling at least a dozen, depict a consistent pattern of behavior. Chenal has denied committing any inappropriate acts but admitted to sending messages, telling Le Monde: “I never went or thought I would go to these young girls, nor committed the slightest inappropriate act against them.” He added that he had undergone therapy in 2017 and focused on rebuilding his life. However, the recent allegations indicate that he acted inappropriately as late as 2021. Several victims have or are planning to file charges against the disgraced French ski racer.

• Related: U.S. Snowboard Coach Suspended for Sexual Misconduct for 10 Years

Initial concerns about Chenal’s behavior reportedly surfaced as early as 2009 but no action was taken against the star coach. A disciplinary warning followed in 2015 after another athlete filed a complaint. Despite this, Chenal continued coaching until May 2017, when his contract was not renewed. Chenal continued working in the ski racing industry after leaving the national team, first with the private training group Orsatus, and then by founding the Silver Ski Team in French-Italian cross-border resort La Rosière in 2022—a program composed entirely of young female athletes. Training had recently begun on the Pisaillas glacier in Val d’Isère when the allegations resurfaced. It has now come to light that his departure from Orsatus was prompted by allegations of inappropriate conduct by Chenal towards an 19-year-old female athlete. According to Le Monde, young athletes would warn one another not to open or respond to messages by the Olympic vice-champion, but somehow the open secret went without any consequences for Chenal for another four years.

Chenal’s fall from grace has cast a shadow over a celebrated career. Born in Moûtiers, France, in 1973, he made his World Cup debut in 1995 and earned his first win in 1999. He went on to represent France at three Winter Olympics and five World Championships, retiring in 2009 after 14 years at the top of his sport.

Adrien Duvillard—son of 1956 and 1960 Olympic ski racer Adrien Duvillard, and himself a former Olympian and French team member in the 1980s and 1990s—recently learned that one of his daughters allegedly received inappropriate photos from Joël Chenal in 2016, when she was 17. Duvillard admits, “There were rumors,” but expressed towards Le Monde his shock at the fact Chenal got away for years with impunity. “It’s indefensible,” the 1992 and 1998 Olympian exclaimed. He admits, however, that many in the industry will be reluctant to take action in light of the impending French Winter Games in 2030. He points his finger at the FFS for its decades of inaction towards a known offender but admits he is not surprised.

Now, as the legal process begins and the FFS confronts its past inaction, the case is forcing a reckoning within the sport. The FFS emphasizes it does not tolerate silence or complacency and vowed to fully cooperate with authorities, however, years of inaction tell a different story. After years of silence and sweeping allegations under the rug, the French ski association, will need to urgently reassess its responsibility to protect young female athletes.