Last weekend, Kevin Escoffier announced that he was stepping down as skipper ofHolcim-PRB for the end of The Ocean Race following a “alleged incident” with a young woman from his team in Newport before the start of the fifth stage. Since then, the French Sailing Federation has taken up the matter, Tip & Shaft takes stock of this sensitive matter.
The story begins on the evening of Monday May 15 in Newport, when the Holcim-PRB team is about to meet the logistical challenge of starting the fifth leg of The Ocean Race after dismasting off Brazil, three weeks earlier. Several team members meet at a local pub, The Fastnet Pub. An “incident” then occursinvolving Kevin Escoffier and a young woman from the team.
Nothing filtered out at the time and the crew met the next day in the early morning for the daily sports session. Until more and more insistent rumorsof which Tip & Shaft then echo, bring up this incident as Holcim-PRB is at sea on the fifth leg on May 21 from Newport. It was won on May 29 at Aahrus by 11th Hour Racing Team ahead of Kevin Escoffier’s crew. In Denmark, the affair continues to make people talk; it is mentioned collectively within the team as the skipper will recognize in an interview granted on June 6 to The Team and to West France.
Eventually it becomes so big that Kevin Escoffier decides last Saturday, on the eve of the in-port of Aarhus, to disembark and give up pursuing The Ocean Raceevoking on his Instagram account “an alleged incident”. A press release from the team, without mentioning this incident or citing the name of the Malouin, reveals at the same time the composition of the crew for the sixth stage, of which he is not a part.
Jean-Luc Denechau
in the first line
This double communication pushes Jean-Luc Denéchau, president of the French Sailing Federation, to want to know moreas he confided last Sunday In The Telegram and reminded us of this on Thursday during a telephone interview. “This dissonance challenged me, I made a fairly limited number of phone calls which led me to think very quickly that “the alleged incident” evoked by Kevin was rather inappropriate behavior that he would have had towards a young woman during an evening of the stopover in Newport”, indicates the president of the FFVoile. Who does not wish to name the people to whom he telephoned, “reliable sources that I know of”he says, however.
And the boss of the FFV to continue: “The facts that have been reported to me justify that, as a representative of the French Sailing Federation, which has a delegation of public service mission, it was my responsibility to make a report to the Ministry of Sports. I didn’t call Kevin, because that’s not my role as president. My role is to defend the general interest and to secure the licensees’ practice environment. If the behavior were proven, it is obviously totally unacceptable and has no place in our federation.
The report of the federation was received Monday afternoon by the Ministry of Sports, we were confirmed to the office of Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. Telephone exchanges took place at the same time between Jean-Luc Denéchau and Fabienne Bourdais, director of Sports at the ministry, on the one hand, and between Baptiste Meyer, referent of the federation on the problems of violence, and the cell of the ministry dedicated to these questions, on the other hand.
A disciplinary procedure
opened by the FFV
The Ministry of Sports has the possibility of triggering an administrative procedure via the prefect of the department where Kevin Escoffier resides (Morbihan) – which does not seem to be relevant for the moment according to sources familiar with the matter. The rest of the file is therefore essentially in the hands of the FFVoile: “We will open a disciplinary procedureconfirms Jean-Luc Denéchau. An instructor will be appointed within the federation, the different parties will be contacted and heard, possibly with their advice, by the disciplinary committee which will then take a possible sanction. This can go from warning to withdrawal of license for a variable or definitive duration.” Which could obviously compromise the sporting future of Kevin Escoffier.
The federation also has the obligation, under article 40 of the penal codeto do a report to the public prosecutor if the facts are likely to receive a criminal qualification. In this specific case, do the facts fall within sexual assault – which has not yet been established? “It’s not my role to say if it’s a sexual assault, comments, Jean-Luc Denéchau. But one of the roles of the federation is indeed to take legal action in this context, it is a possibility.
Contacted to give his version of the facts, Kevin Escoffier referred us to his lawyer, Virginia LeRoy. She told us that to date she had received no news from the various institutions, which prompted her to send a letter on Thursday evening to the French Sailing Federation to demand that if there is a disciplinary action there is, it can start quickly to allow the Malouin to defend themselves.
Maître Le Roy does not wish to say more than what the skipper wrote in his press release on Tuesday and declared the same day to the journalists of The Team and of West France. “AT to this day, there is still no testimony, thus recalls Kevin Escoffier in Ouest-France. If only out of respect for all the protagonists in this affair, and in an incident like this, I consider that I do not have to give my perception, my testimony, or tell facts, through the press. I will reserve that for sports institutions when they ask me to.”
And the skipper added, when asked if the incident had been settled internally: “There are several solutions to solve this type of problem. First person to person, and that was what had been done in Newport and Aarhus. Or we can use the help of institutions. We had done the first solution, internally, but today, there is also media pressure for this to also be studied by the institutions. And in both cases, I said that I will be available.”
Radio silence
on the part of the sponsors
What about the organizer of The Ocean Race ? Referent on the subjects of violence for the race, Victoria Low sent us back to the press release sent on Tuesday which specifies: “The Ocean Race has not received any complaints or formal reports to date (…) On Monday, we spoke with the FFV, who confirmed to us that they were following their procedures to open an investigation (…), we support this initiative and cooperate fully with the FFV.”
On the side of World Sailingthe international sailing federation, which can be seized of this type of subject via a specific procedurethe Director General David Graham replied by email: “We are aware of allegations relating to an incident that occurred during The Ocean Race’s stopover in Rhode Island. We work with relevant stakeholders to ensure that this matter is handled appropriately and with the seriousness it deserves. Although we are unable to comment on the incident at this time, behavior of the type alleged should not be tolerated in our sport. World Sailing is fully committed to ensuring that our sport is a safe and welcoming environment for all, and we will take all necessary steps to ensure we deliver on this commitment.”
On the side of the team as partners of Kevin EscoffierHolcim and PRB – the first, a Swiss cement giant, bought the second a year ago -, no one wanted to answer us and discuss the possible consequences of this affair on the continuation of the Imoca project.
Damian Foxall is calling
to a global reflection
As for the other competitors in The Ocean Race, many are displaying a cautious reserve for the time being. A sailor contacted in Aarhus mentioned a “heavy atmosphere“wishing, however, that “tongues are loosened”. Another, “sad and surprised at the events”on the other hand, ensures that “It’s not about Kevin at all here”. The only team that has agreed to discuss the incident is 11th Hour Racing Teamthrough his sustainability manager Damian Foxallwho makes it clear that he speaks in this capacity and not as a competitor of the team Holcim-PRB.
Without wanting to comment on the facts, the Irishman believes that these, proven or not, must lead to a global reflection. “A lot of work has been done on inclusion, diversity and gender equality in racing, but perhaps more needs to be done for major events and classes to implement charters to define work standards, manager responsibilities, but also protection and alert mechanisms if there is need. These systems must be clear, accessible and well identified. The Ocean Race has its own, is it sufficiently known and accessible to everyone? I don’t know. What is the Imoca class doing on these subjects? You have to ask him.”
Contacted in Aarhus just before the start of the sixth stage, the Imoca did not wish to comment at this stage.
Photo: Julien Champolion – Holcim-PRB
