PARIS — French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu has blasted figure skating federation head Didier Gailhaguet as self-serving amid claims of rape and sexual abuse of minors in the sport.



Gailhaguet is to give a press conference at 1330 GMT on Wednesday, a day after French prosecutors opened an investigation into the scandal brought to light by former world championship bronze medalist Sarah Abitbol.



In her autobiography published last week, Abitbol accused coach Gilles Beyer of raping her several times from 1990 to 1992 when she was between the ages of 15 and 17.



Further allegations by three other skaters of underage sexual abuse followed.



Sports minister Maracineanu on Monday called for Gailhaguet to resign, saying he "cannot absolve himself of his moral and personal responsibility".



But after a meeting at the federation's Paris headquarters on Tuesday, Gailhaguet said he would not make a decision on whether to step down until the investigation had concluded.



"I am a little speechless before this gentleman whom I met for an hour two days ago and who spent half the time defending himself," Maracineanu told French television.



"At no time did he say before me what his vision was with regard to this problem which affects his federation.



"We must see today how to respond to this scourge. If this gentleman is more interested by his job... it just strikes me as incredible."



Maracineanu, a former swimming world champion, does not have the power to sack Gailhaguet, but has intimated that the federation would face state sanctions if he remains.



Gailhaguet has been the most influential man in French ice skating since he first became president in 1998, some years after the alleged offenses.



He has headed the federation ever since apart from a three-year hiatus between 2004 and 2007 which followed a judging scandal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.



He was suspended by the International Skating Union for three years from 2002 and duly gave up, temporarily, the presidency of the French federation.



Gailhaguet's accession to the presidency opened the door for Abitbol's coach Gilles Beyer to take charge of the French national team.



It has been shown that Gailhaguet was aware of complaints of inappropriate behavior against Beyer.



A 2000 inquiry led the Sports Ministry to remove Beyer from his technical role at the federation, but he remained a coach at club level and held an executive position at the federation until 2018.— AFP