French Olympic Committee boss starts lawsuit over ‘‘psychological violence’‘

Since the committee removed secretary general Didier Seminet last month, president Brigitte Henriques has started suing him for “psychological violence”.

FILE PHOTO: President of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, Brigitte Henriques, speaks on stage during the Global Sport Week. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Turmoil at the French Olympic Committee is casting yet another shadow on French sports in the buildup to the Paris Olympics.

Since the committee removed secretary general Didier Seminet last month, president Brigitte Henriques has started suing him for “psychological violence”. The committee confirmed Henriques began the legal action but declined to make further comments about the case when contacted by The Associated Press on Monday.

Seminet and Henriques had been at odds for months. Their tense professional relationship was brought to an end in September when the committee board voted to dismiss Seminet from his position on the proposal of Henriques.

The reasons for Seminet’s dismissal have yet to emerge.

A former France international in football, Henriques was elected as the first woman president of the committee last year.

In other embarrassing episodes in French sports, the sports minister ordered an investigation into the French Football Federation after its president, Noël Le Graët, faced claims of sexual harassment.

The sports ministry has also suspended 2023 Rugby World Cup chief executive Claude Atcher following an internal investigation that showed “alarming managerial practices” and “the suffering of some employees”.