"No sport justifies physical, psychological, and sexual violence": In Nice, the practices of a couple of gymnastics coaches are on trial

At the Cavigal gymnastics club in Nice, there's a room "at the end of a corridor" for the mats and an office "at the top of the stairs" for the coaches. In the former, Alicia claims she suffered physical abuse after refusing or failing to perform exercises. In the latter, she alleges she was touched inappropriately after completing her homework. Alicia and five other gymnasts are accusing a couple of coaches.

The club's former coach, Yohan L., 45, has been on trial in Nice since Wednesday until Thursday, October 30, on charges of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and violence. His ex-partner, Violetta D., 52, is being prosecuted for violence. Neither admits to the charges. For two days, the court is delving into the hushed world of elite gymnastics, where athletes train on the bars and beams from childhood, growing up caught between coaches under pressure and ambitious parents. The floodgates opened when dreams of medals and national team selection vanished for the young gymnasts of Cavigal's gymnastics section, one of the best in France.

Behind the 23-year-old woman who steps to the witness stand hides the teenager. It's easy to picture Alicia, even with her hair slicked back in a high ponytail, moving from one apparatus to another. For fifteen years, she trained every afternoon, Monday through Friday, with the same coach. She denounces physical abuse she suffered between the ages of 7 and 11, as well as sexual assaults.