The Julia Simon affair is now a thing of the past, assures Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, who is focusing her attention on the ambitions of the French team for the Olympics.
The Winter Olympics are fast approaching. Scheduled for February 6 to 22, the 2026 edition will take place between Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, with 16 sports on the program, including biathlon. A discipline recently shaken in France by the Julia Simon affair.
Involved in a case of theft and bank card fraud, the French biathlete admitted all the facts. She was sentenced last October to three months in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros. The French biathlon federation then imposed a one-month suspension on him from all competition and training, before his return from the second stage of the World Cup in Hochfilzen.
Within the French staff, the page now seems to have been turned, particularly in the run-up to the Milan-Cortina Games. In any case, this is the feeling expressed by the president of the CNOSF, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. “It’s obviously a story that must have been difficult to live with and which inevitably had an impact. The fact that justice has done its job, that Julia Simon has served her suspension imposed by the federation, that there is today a maturity on the part of the coaches and a desire expressed by the protagonists to move on to sport, I think that this ordeal is behind us and that it will not leave a mark for the Olympics”she confides in The Dauphiné Libéré.
“This is unacceptable”
The leader, however, regrets the turn this affair has taken on social networks, denouncing a deleterious climate.
“This cyberharassment literally revolts me. It is completely unjustified and unacceptable. It is inconceivable that Justine Braisaz-Bouchet should protect her daughter from these attacks. This is unacceptable. We must pursue this scourge in a strong manner. I want to show my fullest support”she adds.
Furthermore, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra has shown strong ambitions for the next Games, with a clear objective: to enter the Top 5 in the world. “We must increase the number of our gold medals by 50%”she believes. Historically, France oscillates between 9th and 11th place, with 14 to 15 medals including 5 to 7 gold.
“When we analyze French performances in the events present at the Olympics, we are sixth. Everything will come down to one or two gold medals. The start of the season shows great momentum and our versatility can make the difference”assures the former Minister of Sports.
