The champion figure skater Sarah Abitbol will grip your emotions with her exhibition on violence and abuse in the sports world.
First of all, it is important to know Sarah Abitbol. She is a French figure skater who won numerous awards throughout her career. Accompanied by her partner, Stéphane Bernadis, she managed to secure the bronze medal at the 2000 World Championship. They also won 7 medals at the European Championships, 3 international Grand Prix, and 10 French championships.
Her career was not all rosy and simple. After years of silence, she broke her silence about the sexual abuse she suffered from her coach between the ages of 15 and 17. A trauma that followed her throughout her life and shaped the woman she has become today. Today, she fights tirelessly to raise awareness and encourage openness about such immoral practices that are unfortunately far too common in the sports world.
“Cris d’Alerte” a Call for Help
The starting point of this exhibition is the book Sarah wrote, “Un si long silence,” which recounts her struggle with being raped by her coach at such a young age. The exhibition presents photographs that, beyond their artistic beauty, have a real meaning and message. Sarah Abitbol undertook a genuine group effort with her teams, photographer Tom Bartowicz, and the actors. The photos were designed to be as realistic as possible and to put themselves in the shoes of those who suffer. She says she “took many showers, and it was a way to cry and suffer in silence.” It’s phrases like these that reflect her experience and served to inspire these photos.
The photos are exhibited at the pool Jean Bouin until February 25, 2025. The goal is to raise awareness and make “the shame switch sides.” The shame should not be on the victims but rather on the perpetrators. As for a “final idea, there isn’t really one,” according to her, everyone is “sensitive to certain photos based on their story.” But the ultimate goal is to “raise awareness, prevent, heal, and protect,” to “protect the new generation so that messages can be triggered,” she declared.
The main thing is to talk about it. One should not hide from what they have suffered but rather shift this shame onto who made them suffer.
